Diego Simeone's link to Manchester United comes due to his disciplined manner in management but it could be a recipe for disaster after Ruben Amorim's sacking
Diego Simeone
Diego Simeone would go against what Manchester United need after sacking Ruben Amorim(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Whoever Manchester United decide to give the head coach job to for the 2026/27 season will be required to tick several boxes. From a track record of producing youth players, bringing success to clubs and having a clear tactical identity, the next appointment is pivotal.
That's why, despite his success in over 14 years at Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone might not be a wise pick to be on any shortlist. Since moving to Los Colchoneros, the 55-year-old has managed more than 765 games, losing just 148 times.
His contract in Spain is due to expire next summer and after minor cracks earlier this season, his future at the Metropolitano Stadium is unclear. Pair that with the available vacancy to lead one of Europe's biggest clubs, and Simeone's name is being tipped.
That list also includes Jurgen Klopp, Xabi Alonso, and Zinedine Zidane, all managers who aren't realistic candidates due to their former clubs or future plans. But Simeone's name is mentioned due to his success at Atleti and with plenty of years ahead of him, questions over his longevity in Spain will only grow.
Two former United players, Roy Keane and Gary Neville, have both name-checked the Argentine to come to Old Trafford. "I've said it for years, I'd like to see Atletico Madrid's Simeone, I'd like to see him go in there," Keane said toward the back end of last year. "I know his mate's [Andrea Berta] gone to Arsenal, but I think he would just create havoc, a good havoc.
"I think he'd rock up to that place and say, 'This is how you do things.' No guarantee, but I'd just like to see his personality, and his track record."
When Ruben Amorim was sacked over two weeks ago, Neville brought Simeone's name back up. "It would be wrong of me to name someone," he said. "There are coaches that I like, I like Tuchel, I like Simeone at Atletico Madrid, I like Valverde, I think he’s a fantastic coach.
"But are there really opportunities for Manchester United to go out and get these coaches? I don’t know. I have no idea. But the most important thing is Manchester United’s scouting department, recruitment department, sporting director, have got their eyes open and have seen this coming and basically have got an idea of what they need to do now and come up with that.
"It’s been a real struggle for all these good managers and coaches to come to Old Trafford and try get the results the club demand. We can’t keep getting it wrong we have to get it right at some point."
In the same breath, Neville explained how the next head coach at United has to fit the 'DNA' of the club. "Ajax will never change for anybody, Barcelona will never change for anybody," he said. "I don't believe Man United should change for anybody."
Diego Simeone
Diego Simeone is one of the names linked with the Man United vacancy(Image: Getty Images)
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Whether or not United are making their considerations with the DNA of the club in mind remains to be seen, but Simeone's appointment would go completely against that. At Atletico, his philosophy is based around defensive solidarity - mainly in a 4-4-2 formation - and high pressing with technical wide players.
With two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, two Europa League trophies and two Champions League finals, Simeone has brought success to the club. Yet the reason the two just don't fit is the same one that made Amorim have to go.
United brought in a coach who had a clear vision of how he wanted his team to play. At Sporting CP, they had success with a 3-4-3; the club wanted to translate that to the Premier League, and it failed. When the time came to ask or demand that he change his style, the tables turned, and Amorim was sacked.
“The Simeone one is really interesting," Carragher said recently. "We’ve just had a chat about DNA. But it’s interesting that Roy, who loves the club, and Gary, the same, have both mentioned Diego Simeone at different points in the last 4 or 5 months, that they wouldn’t mind seeing him at Man United.
"That goes away from a club's DNA because he is a defensive coach. That’s what I go back to in this country, we pick managers on the success they have at clubs.
"You can’t then ask a manager because he’s successful, like [Ruben] Amorim and asking him not to play three at the back, you’re getting him from here to get what he did there here. You can’t then ask him to change."
That's why whoever comes in, as mentioned above, will have to tick boxes for the United hierarchy and one of the biggest will be to implement a style of play that is agreed upon appointment, so there is no U-turn in ideas further down the line.