Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has sensationally claimed that Manchester United should make a move for Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp this summer, with question marks hanging over Ruben Amorim.
It appears that Manchester United, who finished 15th in the Premier League standings, will be sticking with the Portuguese coach. It has also made a couple of early moves in the transfer market, for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo.
But it will take a lot more than that to turn the ship around, with the likes of Alejandro Garnacho likely to be on their way out (Bruno Fernandes, at least, was mulling over a move to Saudi Arabia, but is now thought to be staying). Klopp, Keown says, would be the right candidate.
"I’m still concerned that maybe [Amorim] isn’t the right manager for Manchester United," Keown said on talkSPORT. "Just look at the number of games they’ve lost.
"It’s going to be a very interesting start to next season for them. But they could do a lot worse than go and get Jurgen Klopp to manage their football club.
"I’m not trying to sensationalize. I believe he could do an incredible job there, and I believe they need somebody with more experience than the current manager."
(Image: PA)
Klopp has already categorically ruled out a return to management for any club, let alone Manchester United. It is extremely unlikely that he will ever return to the Premier League and is not guaranteed to return to coaching whatsoever.
The German is currently with the Red Bull group, which is a much more relaxed role with less demands placed on him, and he has been linked with one day replacing Julian Nagelsmann as his country's head coach. That seems considerably more plausible.
"I will not manage a club or a country at least for a year, that’s not possible," Klopp said when he announced his departure from Liverpool. "I cannot do that and I don’t want to.
"What I know definitely [is that] I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool. 100 per cent. That’s not possible."
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"The last thing I am thinking about actually is to be a manager again," Klopp then said a couple of months ago amid links with the Real Madrid job, which has since been taken over by Xabi Alonso.
"I don't know exactly why nobody believes I probably will not be a manager again," Klopp had joked previously. "But I understand because obviously it seems to be a drug.
"It looks like that because everybody comes back and everyone works until they are 70-something. I always had the idea that I will not do that for that long."
Liverpool.com says: There is just no chance of this happening. It will take a figure like Klopp, though, to turn Manchester United around. Cunha and Mbuemo would appear to be good moves, but losing Fernandes would be a setback.