The news recently broke that Manchester United have decided to sack Ruben Amorim after 14 months in charge at the club. Following his departure, who could replace him?
Today, we looked at five head coaches who could take over in Amorim’s stead. It is expected that Darren Fletcher will assume the position on an interim basis until the end of the season, but who will their long-term pick be?
Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca was given the sack by Chelsea just a few days ago – could the Blues’ loss become United’s gain? Many thought Maresca’s sacking at Stamford Bridge was premature, so this could be a great opportunity for him to get his career back on track.
Additionally, United don’t have much money to play with after such a high-spending summer. As a free agent, Maresca is a quality option who won’t break the bank.
However, the idea of signing a manager who was given the boot by a rival club may be unsavoury to some. On top of this, Maresca isn’t the most experienced head coach – he has spent just over three years in total as a manager of a senior team (between Parma, Leicester City and Chelsea).
Oliver Glasner
This one makes the most sense to us. Oliver Glasner’s stock is high at the moment, having achieved great things at Crystal Palace – on top of this, he recently said he would not sign a new contract at the end of the season.
As such, the door is theoretically open for United to make a move, but they will probably have to wait until the summer to do so. Glasner is highly rated by swathes of clubs – by then, he might’ve been snapped up.
Furthermore, Glasner’s cautious style of play may not fly at Old Trafford. After Amorim’s propensity for playing three at the back, United fans want to see some free-flowing attacking football.
Fabian Hurzeler
This may be somewhat unrealistic, given United’s financial situation, but Fabian Hurzeler would be an excellent candidate for the Red Devils’ hotseat.
There is no quick fix at United – it will take a focused, long-term effort to get them back to where they should be. Hurzeler won’t turn things around instantly, but he is a promising young manager with a glittering future in the Premier League.
If the board are willing to be patient with him, Hurzeler would bring both results and entertaining football to Old Trafford. He has done this at Brighton, despite the limitations of the talent available to him.
Laurent Blanc
Laurent Blanc may sound like a left-field pick at first glance, but he is a name that has been touted by several accredited bookmakers. Perhaps they know something we don’t?
Out of all the managers in our list, Blanc has the most experience of coaching at the highest level of the game. Previously, he has managed Lyon, PSG and the French national team.
He is also a free agent, but his most recent club was Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League. Therefore, he will probably want a hefty wage – additionally, he has never managed in the Premier League.
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate has been linked with a move to Manchester United for years now. The move has never materialised, but the rumours persist.
When Southgate joined England, the Three Lions were in disarray. Nevertheless, he rolled up his sleeves and reinvented them – could he do a similar job at United?
Of course, international coaching is a completely different kettle of fish to club coaching – but Southgate’s appointment would certainly be a headline-grabber at very least.
Roberto Di Zerbi
The former Brighton boss did a pretty stellar job on the South coast but it seemed to go sour between him and the ownership as his last season came to an end.
The Italian manager delivered some good attacking football and excited and endeared himself to the Seagulls fans but in the end he seemed unhappy with Tony Bloom’s transfer policy and ultimately made his way to manage Marseille in Ligue 1.
He was linked with the United job at one point but he would be considered an outside bet to land the job now however his style of football might make the United fans enjoy their team’s football a little more.