Man Utd chiefs could have final answer over Ruben Amorim replacement
If Manchester United are considering appointing a new manager they could do worse than keep a close eye on the two candidates battling it out at Selhurst Park this weekend
There could be more than three points at stake when Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola meet at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Crystal Palace and Bournemouth have already emerged as the two surprise packages of this season so far as they both sit pretty amongst the early pacesetters inside the top six. Yet the biggest attraction is more likely to be in the dugouts than on the pitch - with a golden ticket to Old Trafford potentially among the prizes.
There is little doubt Glasner and Iraola are the two hottest managers on the Premier League merry-go-round right now. And for all Sir Jim Ratcliffe's insistence that Ruben Amorim needs three years to prove himself a "great" coach, one glance at the touchline in south London on Saturday afternoon will perhaps make those in power at Manchester United ponder otherwise.
Not that they will need reminding of two managers who are yet to lose to United with their respective clubs. Nor that Glasner's Palace were celebrating their historic FA Cup triumph in May a year on from when Ratcliffe was in the same Wembley stands watching Erik ten Hag lift the trophy for United.
Few would have predicted that when Palace earned their first league win of last season at the ninth attempt, the night before Ten Hag was sacked.
But Glasner's ability to weather a rough start in SE19 only adds to his growing appeal as Amorim's possible successor.
This is a Palace side, remember, who lost their best player Michael Olise to Bayern Munich before going on to win the FA Cup. The same happened this summer with Eberechi Eze to Arsenal and Glasner's team is still thriving.
The question is whether he will be happy to stick around if the same happens at the end of this season when captain Marc Guehi becomes a free agent?
Because Guehi is not the only man out of contract in the summer, of course. A fact that will not be lost on those pulling the strings at United.
Palace chairman Steve Parish is already trying to tie Glasner down to a new contract, as he bids to "align their interests".
And he was quick to add that: "Oliver wants to win things, he makes no secret of that. That's what he's in football for."
With an FA Cup already under his belt, you'd argue he currently has more chance of that at Palace than United.
But you also get the sense that someone will eventually crack the code and break the spell over Old Trafford. So why not the Austrian?
He has a strong track record, talks a good game and perhaps crucial to any future transition, favours a three-at-the-back style which Amorim is currently failing miserably at implementing.
Glasner clearly fosters a positive team environment, too - something sorely needed at United. No other realistic candidate for United has arguably done so better of the current managers in the top-flight. Except maybe one.
If losing key players is the yardstick, how Bournemouth have performed after selling three of their back four is nothing short of remarkable. Not to mention their best striker the summer before.
Iraola led the Cherries to their best-ever seasons twice in succession before Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi departed, having already lost Dominic Solanke.
Yet they're already six points better off than they were at this stage last season - a campaign which included a statement 3-0 win at Old Trafford.
It's little wonder their Spanish coach - another from the thriving Basque hotbed of managers - is attracting interest.
Asked about his future at Bournemouth, Iraola said: "It's not just a one-season thing, you have to be there to stay and get results with the teams that you have. If you don't have good players, it's going to be very difficult."
It's a tune United know all too well. And if Iraola can get one of those results over Glasner, it could make all the difference in Manchester.