Manchester United have pulled the plug on Erik ten Hag after an awful start to the season.
Who next?
United have placed Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge on an interim basis but is the Dutch coach ready for the top job? What direction will INEOS, the new leaders of United’s football operations, go in?
There are rumors the club is already in talks with Sporting Lisbon leader Ruben Amorim, but below are some suggestions about who should be the next Manchester United manager.
Who should be the next Manchester United manager?
When United decided to not sack Erik ten Hag in the summer both Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel were available, but they’ve since taken charge of the USMNT and England men’s team respectively.
United have stated that assistant coach Van Nistelrooy will remain in interim charge and the legendary former United striker has had experience coaching at PSV as a head coach. Perhaps this will be another Ole Gunnar Solskjaer situation?
Gareth Southgate’s name has been mentioned but he has ruled himself out of coaching anytime soon, while the likes of Roberto Mancini and Zinedine Zidane (who have both won trophies with big clubs) are available but are they really the right fit for a long-term project?
Amorim has emerged as the clear frontrunner for the job, with the Sporting Lisbon coach the type of forward-thinking boss full of energy and momentum that United should be going for.
United will likely go for someone younger like Amorim with Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank or Russell Martin, who play good football and have strong and distinct playing styles, also mentioned as contenders. United want to build a project under new leaders Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox and they will take their time to get the appointment right.
McKenna and Martin seem more achievable as targets, but perhaps this is the right time for Frank to make the step up if they can’t get Amorim?
With United already six points off the top four, struggling in the Europa League and an expensively assembled squad severely lacking in confidence, they need a fresh approach and to get results in the short-term while changing everything about the playing style and direction long-term.
That is not easy but Amorim, Frank, McKenna and Martin have shown they can do it at smaller clubs and they deserve to make the step up.
United have gone for the big-name experienced coaches before and that has only worked in small doses in the short term.
It’s time to be brave and go and get the best coach possible for these players and for the vision they want for the club. No more big names just because they’re a big name. Just get the right person for the job. Now it’s time for INEOS and their esteemed football directors to prove how good they are.
