Foxes boss would bring style, intensity and aggression to OT

WHEN Brendan Rodgers sat down in front of a Zoom screen earlier this month and dissected how his Leicester City side had so comprehensively beaten United it was hard to escape the feeling he sounded like a manager whose next move would be to the top.

That fixture at the King Power Stadium two weeks ago was 1-1 with 12 minutes to go but in the end the 4-2 scoreline in favour of Rodgers’ Leicester didn’t feel unrepresentative of the game.

Afterwards, Rodgers, below, spoke effusively of the intensity and aggression in his team’s play, how those characteristics always meant his side were playing well, and he spoke of Leicester’s press – and United’s lack of it – and how that allowed the Foxes to be patient in their build-up play.

It was insightful stuff and only further reinforced the idea that Rodgers is due a big move. He has been linked, tentatively, with Barcelona and it’s not that difficult to see why. He has significant admirers at City for when they begin the terrifying prospect of searching for a Pep Guardiola replacement.

But if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is unable to right the ship at United, it’s the Northern Irishman that should be right at the top of the list of potential replacements.

Antonio Conte might be a free agent and the populist choice, but he would be a radical shift in policy, the kind of counterintuitive move that is the approach of clubs without a plan. To go from Jose Mourinho to Solskjaer to

Conte would be confirmation of a club without a plan.

Whatever Solskjaer’s faults may be, he has bought a philosophy and unity back to United.

Moving to

Conte and his abrasive approach might put that at risk.

Solskjaer has improved some players at Old Trafford and Rodgers looks a good candidate to continue with that work. He has a more hands-on coach and a better tactician and his record of improving players is arguably as good as any coach in world football.

His style of play is modern, focusing on pressing and attacking, and his teams are generally entertaining and exciting to watch. He would be a progressive appointment.

There is a narrative that Rodgers has overseen sides that have lost their bottle in the closing weeks of the season. That began with Liverpool missing out on the title in 2013/14, although but for a Steven Gerrard slip they would probably have won the league.

Maybe Rodgers remained too cavalier in that game against Chelsea, when a draw would have done, but he had taken a pretty average Liverpool side to the brink of glory in the first place and that shouldn’t be forgotten.

At Leicester, his teams have twice squandered momentum to miss out on the Champions League places on the final day of the season. That’s not ideal, but then for Leicester to be on the brink of finishing in the top four in successive seasons is a remarkable achievement.

Then there’s Celtic. While it’s easy to treat the Scottish Premiership with disdain, Rodgers could have done no more. His record north of the border was stunning and his trophy haul was hugely impressive.

He should certainly have caught the eye of the decisions makers in

the Old Trafford.