Zidane, Southgate, Howe, Keane?! Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt deliver their verdicts on candidates to replace Ruben Amorim as Man United manager

Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt have shared their thoughts on potential candidates to replace Ruben Amorim - with some surprising names in the mix that the two former Red Devils wouldn't mind seeing in the Old Trafford dugout.

The Portuguese head coach was fired on Monday following a decision made by the club's hierarchy on Friday, in the wake of their 1-1 draw with Wolves .

After the draw, where Amorim reverted his side to his steadfast back-three playing system after shaking the formula up for a win against Newcastle on Boxing Day, the 41-year-old is believed to have spoken to director of football Jason Wilcox.

Amorim is thought to have been informed that his squad was capable of playing more attacking football, while the head coach is believed to have asserted his confidence in his own system.

On Sunday afternoon, following another stalemate, this time against Leeds , Amorim unleashed an incendiary rant aimed at Man United 's hierarchy, claiming that he was a 'manager' not a coach.

Now, Amorim is neither at Man United, with under-18s coach and former star Darren Fletcher set to take charge as caretaker while club bosses assess their options.

Ruben Amorim may have only left Manchester United on Monday but his replacement is already hotly discussed

Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes weighed in on some biggest names linked to the football club

But Scholes and Butt were keen to weigh in themselves, sharing their thoughts on a host of boldfaced names.

In a clip for their podcast The Good, The Bad and the Football , Scholes and Butt were read a list of potential names, with former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez the first name to be given a direct 'no'.

Other candidates they turned down included Gareth Southgate, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, and recently despatched Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.

Fulham's current head coach Marco Silva was also deemed unsuitable for the position - but the available former Real Madrid icon Zinedine Zidane's name raised a response of 'potentially' suitable from both Scholes and Butt.

The two players also said that they would be interested and say 'yes' to managers including England head coach Thomas Tuchel, Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, Unai Emery of Aston Villa, and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.

The most surprising affirmative came for another of their former team-mates however, with both ex-players giving their approval when Roy Keane's name was mentioned.

Keane's last managerial position came in 2019, when he served as assistant manager under Martin O'Neill at Nottingham Forest.

More recently, the former Man United captain has been a frequent fixture as a pundit and podcast host.

Amorim was summoned to Carrington on Monday morning and given the news in a meeting with Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada. The decision was made with the full backing of the board and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

United expect Fletcher to be in charge for at least the next two matches, a midweek trip to Burnley and the FA Cup visit of Brighton and Hove Albion.

Roy Keane last featured in the dugout as assistant to Martin O'Neill at Nottingham Forest

They are currently not looking beyond that, but a host of top name managers such as Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti will not be available until after the World Cup.

The prospect of throwing a new manager into the Manchester derby, a week on Saturday, is not thought to be favoured.

Despite concerns that the squad assembled under Amorim is geared towards his 3-4-2-1 system, insiders maintain that it is flexible enough to adapt under a new coach, and the decision to sack him has been made to give the team the best chance of qualifying for Europe this season.