Red Devils are in need of Pepping-up

Manchester United will be checking on the availability of Pep Guardiola before turning to their list of more realistic targets.

Having sacked manager David Moyes and put Ryan Giggs in charge until the end of the season, United must now identify the long-term successor.

Louis van Gaal is desperate to land the Old Trafford job, and United have been made aware that Jurgen Klopp is not interested.

Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone has admirers at United, but the Argentinian's lack of English fluency is a major drawback.

Before making any firm approach to Van Gaal, Simeone or another candidate, United will make discreet moves to find out whether or not Guardiola could be tempted away from Bayern Munich.

Such a move would be a long shot, as Guardiola is only 12 months into the three-year deal he signed at Bayern last year. The Spaniard has already guided the German club to the Bundesliga title and faces Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals tonight.

United are aware that Guardiola sees United as a club he would eventually like to manage and sources suggest he is not entirely happy in Munich and with the influence of former Bayern players at the club. The 43-year-old has said he would like to eventually manage in the English Premier League.

But he insisted yesterday he had no interest in leaving the European champions come the end of the current campaign.

"I am at Bayern and I want to stay two more years here. We have won the Bundesliga but I feel our team can improve," he said. ". I think I still have work to do. I am comfortable here. The people I work with are gentlemen. After Bayern, I don't know what will happen."

Guardiola revealed recently he might have been offered the chance to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as United manager before Moyes was given the job, but could not fully understand the Scotsman's accent.