Rooney: Solskjaer or Pochettino for Man Utd job

Wayne Rooney said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Mauricio Pochettino are the two candidates for Manchester United. [Photo: China Plus]

Former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney said on Wednesday that his two candidates to take over on a permanent basis at Old Trafford are Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and current Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Solskjaer has overseen nine wins and a draw since replacing Jose Mourinho on a temporary basis at Old Trafford and Rooney, who shared the Manchester United dressing room for three years with the former striker, sees him as the ideal candidate.

Rooney spent 13 seasons with Manchester United before returning to Everton for one year, and now plays in the U.S. with D.C. United.

"Ole Gunnar's a fantastic person," he said in an interview with CNN.

"I think the club will have a decision to make at the end of the season, and it'd be nice to see if Ole's going to continue with this form, and get a shot at the job on the payment basis," he added.

However, if Solskjaer doesn't get the job on a full-time basis, Rooney has another standout candidate to take over at Old Trafford.

"If the club choose from somewhere else, then I think in my opinion Pochettino would be the right guy," he said.

In an interview with Sky Sports on Tuesday, Solskjaer spoke of how much he was enjoying his time at Manchester United and how having played for the club helped him understand the "United DNA" and the style of football the players need to adopt.

Pochettino, meanwhile, has guided Tottenham to third place in the Premier League, just five points behind leaders Liverpool, despite the club making no signings either last summer or in January, and unless there is a promise of investment for this summer, he may be tempted to look elsewhere.