Carlo Ancelotti Reportedly Eyed to Replace Louis Van Gaal by Manchester United

Manchester United have made contact with Carlo Ancelotti about replacing Louis van Gaal as manager, according to reports.

Writing for WhoScored.com, Tancredi Palmeri states "contact has occurred" in the last few days. He notes how 64-year-old Van Gaal has only been hired for the limit of his original contract. Apparently, though, according to Palmeri, United are wary that if the Dutchman sticks it out until 2017, there won't be any marquee names available to succeed him.

Wanting to avoid another scenario like the one where David Moyes was appointed to replace Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, the Old Trafford club is acting now, Palmeri writes: "In fact next summer is the one where a managerial earthquake could happen across Europe, and for this reason at United they have realised they might be compelled to rush their choice in order to secure the option they are looking for."

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Interestingly, Palmeri believes Ancelotti may be more amenable to a move to Manchester rather than joining Bayern Munich. The Italian coach has held talks with the German giants, but Palmeri thinks he "might prefer the Premier League over the Bundesliga because of the language barrier."

He also notes how "Ancelotti himself has said in the past that he would be extremely keen to return to the Premier League." That makes sense considering the 56-year-old's history of success in England's top flight.

He won the double with Chelsea to cap the 2009/10 season. In the process, Ancelotti directed the most exciting and stylish Chelsea team of the Roman Abramovich era. His squad was free-scoring and produced some sublime and expansive football.

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It's that style that would surely endear Ancelotti to the Old Trafford faithful. United fans haven't exactly warmed to Van Gaal's cautious pragmatism.

The issue isn't going away and could cost Van Gaal his job, according to the Guardian's Jonathan Wilson: "No one could accuse Van Gaal of being predictable or lacking the necessary bombast, but history suggests that style can get a manager sacked at Old Trafford."

Van Gaal has rebuilt United from the hollowed-out squad Ferguson let go stale and Moyes proceeded to run into the ground. But with every tame performance going forward, questions are raised about his ability to take the next step and return United to title-winning ways.

Few clubs can dispute the attacking flair Ancelotti imprints on his teams. It worked for Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid. Forwards such as Florent Malouda, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo all played their best football on the Italian's watch.

Ancelotti excels at handling some of the game's major egos. Not many managers can take a collection of star players, all wanting top billing, and get them to function together. But Ancelotti can.

His resume also commands respect, particularly in Europe. He won two European Cups and reached another final with the Rossoneri. In Madrid, he brought La Decima to Los Blancos.

In terms of both status and reputation, United will struggle to find a more marquee name in the next two years. Palmeri suggests the Red Devils have already been burned by rivals Liverpool landing Jurgen Klopp. He also points out United will be eager to respond if neighbours Manchester City hire Bayern's Pep Guardiola.

Bringing in Ancelotti to build on the unfashionable yet stable foundation Van Gaal has already built would be a worthy salvo in the expected managerial star wars next summer.