hope to conclude a deal for boss Erik ten Hag in the coming days, with an appointment believed to be imminent.

The Dutchman impressed United’s board in an interview last month and they’ve decided that the 52-year-old has the right profile and philosophy to take charge next season.

For the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, the club have conducted a thorough appointment process when searching for a new manager. was chosen by Ferguson, Louis van Gaal was the only world class manager available in 2014, was an act of desperation and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a short-term solution that was allowed to overstay his welcome.

Ten Hag would appear the most sensible choice of all the candidates, despite the club’s admiration for Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine was at the height of his powers when United needed to replace Van Gaal in 2016 and Mourinho in 2018 but he was overlooked. Now, his stock has fallen and United have taken the uncharacteristically cold-hearted option of moving for Ten Hag.

There is credible reason for excitement. Ten Hag has implemented an enviable style of play at Ajax, mixing shrewd foreign signings with homegrown talent. He’s built two formidable sides in his four years in Amsterdam and his brand of football is closely aligned to that of Pep Guardiola.

But more accomplished managers than Ten Hag have failed at Old Trafford in recent years and the Dutchman will be consigned to the same fate unless the club learn from their mistakes.

Ralf Rangnick warned United’s board last week that whoever the new manager is, they must slavishly adhere to his philosophy by signing players that fit his profile and discarding of those that don’t. The German also warned that United have a wealth of ‘technical players’ but not enough ‘physical’ ones, while it’s also important to invest in hungry players with a point to prove.

Too often in recent years have United flip-flopped between managers, playing styles and transfer policies. In terms of transfers, they were too cautious under Moyes, too lax under Van Gaal, too unsure under Mourinho and too trusting under Solskjaer.

If United are to get close to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, they must first learn from them. Both clubs have a sense of calmness with their recruitment and will only pull the trigger on deals if and when it suits them. Liverpool’s signing of Luis Diaz is a prime example of this. The Reds have tracked him for the last 18 months but they had not planned on making a move for him in January until he came close to joining Tottenham. When they decided to enter the race, their long-term interest in him paid dividends as the Colombian was aware of how wanted he was by Jurgen Klopp.

United have squandered around £1.3bn in the last nine years and the result is a fractured squad with a mix-match of styles. Ten Hag will need the right players, with the right profile and mentality if he’s to succeed. For that to happen, those above him need to clear up their act and learn from the mistakes of the past.

Everton must sack Frank Lampard before it’s too late

‘I said at half-time ‘I’m not sure these know how to win a game lads, away from home particularly’. I said we have to play on that.’

That was the damning message from Sean Dyche to his players at half-time against Everton on Wednesday night, which helped inspire the Clarets to a huge win against the Toffees.

It means Lampard’s lost eight of his first 12 matches in charge at Goodison Park and the Toffees sit just one point above the relegation zone with nine matches left to play.

Few at Everton felt they were in a relegation scrap when Lampard took charge in January and the signings of Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli speak to the club’s misunderstanding of their plight.

But, with an unenviable run-in, the club face the serious prospect of being relegated to the Championship and their squad appears ill-suited to the fight.

At this late stage of the season, there’s little the board can do to impact things but they may have to accept their appointment of Lampard was a mistake before it’s too late.

Lampard has no experience of a relegation fight and in his defence, he wasn’t appointed with battling one in mind. But the former Chelsea boss has had no impact on the club since moving to Merseyside and fans are already turning against him, with his excuses leaving him on thin ice.

With a huge wage bill and a new stadium on the horizon, Everton cannot afford relegation. Duncan Ferguson has twice taken caretaker charge of the club and he had more impact on the side in four matches during his first stint than Lampard has managed in the last two months.

Whoever takes charge is a question for Everton’s board but Lampard is not the answer.

Liverpool are Premier League greats, no matter what happens against Manchester City on Sunday

A mouth-watering contest between arguably the best two sides in the world awaits on Sunday as Liverpool travel to the Etihad to take on champions Manchester City.

The two teams have become rivals in a new age in the Premier League and Sunday’s game doesn’t come much bigger, with a point separating the two sides with eight games remaining.

The winner – should there be one – will have a significant advantage going into the home stretch of the season.

This season’s winner will either mean a third title in four seasons for City or a second title in three seasons for Liverpool.

Few can dispute City’s dominance of English football in recent years and though they’re yet to get their hands on the Champions League, the club has reached new heights under Pep Guardiola.

They do not need to win the title this season to cement their status as an era-defining side in Premier League history but a failure to do so leaves Liverpool open to suggestions that they have ‘underachieved’ under Jurgen Klopp.

One league title in six years under the German would appear an underachievement given the football Liverpool have played since he took charge at Anfield but that’s just one element of the Klopp era.

Liverpool have come against one of the finest teams in history – nevermind in the Premier League. In practically any other era of the Premier League the Reds would have been the dominant force and the fact they’ve enjoyed success in Europe before City in recent years shows how special they are.

Jamie Redknapp’s recent claim that Mauricio Pochettino ‘underachieved’ at Tottenham – when the Argentine got the side to a Champions League final, built them into title contenders and operated on a fraction of the budget of his rivals – shows we’re too quick to view success and failure through the prism of trophies alone.

The Reds are pushing for an unprecedented quadruple but Klopp has ruled out his side’s chances, insisting that it’s unrealistic to win another three trophies this season.

They may yet pull off the improbable but their status as Premier League greats is cemented no matter what happens on Sunday or in the remainder of the season. If Liverpool miss out on the title this season, that says more about City than it does about them. They are bona fide Premier League greats.

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