Eric Cantona favourite for Manchester United director of football role

Eric Cantona and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could well find themselves spearheading the new era at Manchester United

In most fans' eyes, Solskjaer has already done more than enough to prove himself worthy of earning a full-time contract as United manager. And now Cantona is considered favourite to become the Red Devils' first ever director of football. According to Oddschecker, the odds of Cantona returning to his former club as director of football have been slashed to 1/1, with RB Leipzig director Paul Mitchell his closest competition at 3/1. Cantona recently teased a big announcement amid reports that he was in talks to take up the position this year. https://www.instagram.com/p/Btdy7xHl_Gs/ United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward remained coy on any updates about negotiations with potential candidates for the role during an investors call this week. "With regards to the director of football, lots has been written about this," Woodward said. "I would say that looking at our structures and looking at how we should strengthen, all areas of the club is something we're doing on a continual basis. "We've done a lot of changes within the football side in the last four or five years, in particular around the academy, where we've materially increased investment and we're seeing the quality of that now coming on. "On the football side, we've invested around the recruitment side, the player care side, continued investment with facilities, medical and sports science, so the evolution is continuing. "It's not necessarily that visible to the outside and, in some respects, you get a multi-year return later on [rather] than an immediate impact. But in regards to the overall structure, we are looking at that (the head of football role) and ways we can make it stronger and it is something we'll do on a continual basis." Odds for United's director of football role: Eric Cantona – 1/1 Paul Mitchell – 3/1 Edwin van Der Sar – 4/1 Fabio Paratici – 11/2 Monchi – 11/2 Andrea Berta – 11/1 Gary Neville – 14/1