AFC Bournemouth chief Tiago Pinto has given an update on Andoni Iraola’s future at the club, with Manchester United very interested in the highly-rated manager.
Following a difficult start to the season, Ruben Amorim’s future at Old Trafford has been the source of much speculation, even after Sir Jim Ratcliffe suggested he would give the head coach ‘three years’ to prove his worth.
It was recently reported that Iraola is on United’s three-man shortlist in case Amorim is sacked, alongside former England boss Gareth Southgate and Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner.
The 43-year-old has been widely praised for his work on the south coast over the past two years, turning a struggling side into one of the Premier League’s most exciting teams.
Bournemouth finished ninth last season, recording impressive wins against Manchester City, Arsenal (twice) and Newcastle. He has also masterminded back-to-back 3-0 victories at Old Trafford.
Get personalised updates on Manchester United every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you.
European qualification looks like a real possibility this season, with the Cherries fourth in the table after seven games and just two points behind leaders Arsenal.
Few outside of Spain had heard of Iraola before but everyone knows him now and that could prove problematic for Bournemouth with the manager’s contract expiring next summer.
However, Cherries managing director Pinto says that while he is not certain Iraola will stay at the Vitality, he is ‘quite relaxed’ about the situation.
‘In Bournemouth, from the receptionist to Bill Foley [the club’s owner], everyone wants Andoni to stay,’ he told talkSPORT.
‘So we will do our best to keep him. I think Andoni is happy in Bournemouth, like you guys know every time he jumps in the press conference.
‘But we know how football is, so it’s something that we will discuss internally and of course we hope that he’s going to stay.’
Asked if Bournemouth were looking at any managers in case Iraola departed, Pinto replied: ‘Our first option is Andoni Iraola, the second option is Andoni Iraola and the third option is Andoni Iraola.
‘That’s our succession plan. So as soon as we fix it, [it’s] better for us.
Next Man Utd manager odds
Oliver Glasner – 7/2
Laurent Blanc – 7/2
Gareth Southgate – 5/1
Andoni Iraola – 12/1
Odds courtesy of Betfair
‘But we are very quiet, we are very happy, we work very good all together. We have a very good atmosphere and environment about us and I’m quite relaxed about this situation.’
Speculation surrounding Iraola’s future will continue for now however, with former United goalkeeper Ben Foster convinced the Spaniard is ‘the one’ to get the Red Devils back to winning ways.
Bournemouth could go top of the table when they visit Crystal Palace this Saturday, while Ratcliffe and co. will get the chance to personally assess Iraola on December 13 when the Cherries visit Old Trafford.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.