Sean Dyche has hinted he could do a better job than Ruben Amorim if he were in charge of Manchester United.
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Sean Dyche during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford
What could happen if Sean Dyche was to be Manchester United's manager next season?
(Image: Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Sean Dyche has suggested he would win more games as Manchester United boss than Ruben Amorim, so for a bit of fun, we looked at what could happen if Dyche and his 4-4-2 tactics made their way to the Old Trafford dugout next season?
Amorim has struggled at United since he joined the club in November, with the Portuguese manager leading United to just six wins in the Premier League since his arrival. And now, after losing the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham, it's confirmed that United will not play European football for the upcoming campaign.
Being 16th in the Premier League with one game to go and no European football has put pressure on Amorim, and speaking recently on the Stick to Football podcast, former Everton and Burnley manager Dyche has thrown his hat in the ring, suggesting he could do a better job at United than Amorim.
On the podcast, Dyche said: "I reckon if I went there and played my way, we'd win more games. Just 4-4-2 – give them basic rules of principles. They have some good players. You don't have to over-teach everyone."
So, if Dyche and his synonymous 4-4-2 tactics were to take over at United for the 2025/26 season, could he do a better job than Amorim? For a bit of fun, let's take a look...
Man United's 2025/26 season simulated with Sean Dyche as manager
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to sack Amorim in the summer before appointing Dyche as the new United head coach. We then simulated the 2025/26 season, and this is how the Englishman performed in the Old Trafford dugout.
In the summer, not many big signings were made, with the biggest being Liam Delap from Ipswich Town. Of course, Dyche's first order of business was to shake up the tactics, with 4-4-2 becoming the norm. Dyche reintegrated Marcus Rashford to his squad as a striker, while Mason Mount was one of his favourites, predominantly as a left midfielder.
At the end of the 2025/26 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Man United XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
United's best XI from the 2025/26 season
United's best XI from the 2025/26 season(Image: Football Manager)
Full United best XI: (4-4-2): Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Shaw; Amad, Mainoo, Fernandes, Mount; Zirkzee, Rashford.
United didn't suffer many injury problems during the 2025/26 season, with the likes of Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo all staying fit to make the best XI. Delap missed out on the best XI despite scoring 15 goals for the club, with Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee the duo used the most up front.
Rasmus Hojlund saw little game time under Dyche, with the striker scoring two goals as he made just four starts all season. Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes were the two best midfielders at the club during the simulation, but Manuel Ugarte did feature more than Mainoo, with the two rotating regularly.
With no European football, United could put a big focus on the Premier League, and at the end of the season, big improvements had been made as they managed to return to Europe for the following campaign.
Manchester United finished eighth in the Premier League table
Manchester United finished eighth in the Premier League table
Not exactly Champions League, but Dyche led his side to a much better league finish than the previous season, with United finishing eighth to earn a place in the Conference League. 13 wins, 12 draws and 13 losses saw them end the season on 51 points, eight fewer than Brighton in seventh and only ahead of Aston Villa and Bournemouth on goal difference.
United failed to pick up a win in their final seven games of the season, which saw them drop out of the Europa League spots and settle for the Conference League. In the FA Cup, Dyche's side were knocked out in the fourth round following a 3-1 defeat away to West Ham United, while their Carabao Cup run concluded in the semi-finals after losing 4-3 on aggregate to Arsenal.
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