Saints will be hoping that David Moyes’ axing as Manchester United manager will not result in a managerial merry-go-round that could include Mauricio Pochettino.

United sacked Moyes less than a year after he took charge at Old Trafford following an awful first campaign, placing Ryan Giggs in temporary charge for a spell that could take in their final day fixture against Saints at St Mary’s.

Holland boss Louis van Gaal has been installed as the heavy favourite for the job at 6-5 with the bookies.

Sources close to Tottenham have reported that Spurs intend to sack Tim Sherwood at the end of the campaign and are choosing between Van Gaal and Pochettino as a replacement.

If Van Gaal were to go to United it would only intensify the speculation surrounding Pochettino’s future, with the Saints boss yet to extend his current deal which has just one more season left to run.

United said in a statement: "Following the departure of David Moyes as manager, Manchester United has announced that Ryan Giggs, the club’s most decorated player, will assume responsibility for the first team until a permanent appointment can be made.

“The club will make no further comment on this process until it is concluded.”

It might not take long to discover what is going to happen though as United will try to move quickly to install a permanent replacement for Moyes.

They are determined not to make the same mistake as last summer when Moyes did not take over until the start of July, meaning a big chunk of the transfer window had already passed.

Van Gaal’s credentials make it clear why he is a strong contender– he won the 1995 Champions League as coach of Ajax, has won Spanish league titles with Barcelona and reached the 2010 Champions League final as well as winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

He is also used to working with big-name players and attracting big signings – neither of which were part of Moyes’ track record.

Van Gaal has also made it clear that he will be looking to move on from being Holland’s head coach after the World Cup.

Jurgen Klopp has been touted as a candidate for the top jobs in European football, most recently as the next Barcelona head coach, but he wasted little time in ruling himself out of the Manchester United job.

The 46-year-old said: “Man United is a great club, but my commitment to Borussia Dortmund and the people is not breakable.”