Football News: Speculation On Manchester United's Next Manager

Seeing more talk about EtH being replaced in the summer on the site over the past couple of days. Maybe a little knee-jerk after the Fulham result. Ultimately, I don't think how we play or where we finish this season will play much into the club's thinking.

Ultimately, it'll come down to whether the new guys running the club feel EtH is the best man for their vision. That said, they might also just want a clean slate. Their own man. Which has me wondering who they might consider.

Everything coming out of the club seems to suggest that they think it's a long-term plan, so possibly a younger up-and-coming manager? That might also work with the changes in the structure that will seemingly give less autonomy and control to the manager. Older, more experienced managers might be less accepting of that, especially if they've had much more control at other clubs.

I would hope two criteria that they will be looking at for a new manager is the ability to play exciting, attack focused, progressive football. While an ability and track record of progressing and developing young players should be important given the young players in our squad and our history.

I think we can probably rule out a few potential options pretty quickly. Neither Mourinho nor Conte play the right sort of football, have poor records developing young players and neither can last more than 3 years at a club. Likewise, I don't see the club going for a manager like Zidane. He's not known for his ability to develop young players or ingrain a style of play. He's your big name manager who can control the egos and get the best out of a talent team. He'd be a bad fit for what we need.

Joachim Low is 64 and hasn't been a club manager for more than a decade. He isn't a 3-5 year manager to rebuild the team. Hansi Flick had an unbelievable spell with a great Bayern side but has struggled since. Thomas Tuchel ticks a few of the boxes, plays good football, and gets teams winning. The concerns with him is he can be a hard person to get along with and that is one of the criticisms of EtH. His youth development seems fairly average, some good young players have progressed under him, but several have also struggled. I'm not sure he has had enough success with youth development to say it's a particular strength of his.

Plus, I don't think he'd accept a role where he might not have as much power as he's had at other clubs. All that said, I don't think any of these managers will be seriously considered. None seem to fit the profile and I have a feeling the club will go for a younger up-and-coming manager who can grow with the players and the club over the next few years.

One who may be considered could be Graham Potter. Praised and given a lot of kudos for helping Brighton get to where they are. Plays good football, known for bringing players together and creating a good team ethos, developed his players, particularly several young players. Also, he has EPL experience. That might play a bigger factor than people think.

When looking at the current recruitment, we've hired Berrada who was at Man City, looking to hire Ashworth, while links with Wilcox, Mitchell and Ward all seem to suggest that they value experience of working in the EPL. That might follow through with managers as well.

Beyond Potter, Xabi Alonso is the hottest property in the young manager market. He seems to tick all the boxes, but I doubt we'd get him. He has close links with Liverpool which might see him reluctant to join us (although it didn't stop Busby being a success). I think he will have many offers this summer and I'm not sure he'd want to jump into a long-term project with no track record. I'd also have a minor concern with him only having 18 months of top level management experience.

Ruben Amorim is a name that has been linked and he seems like the next young potentially great Portuguese manager. Plays good football, develops young players.

Julian Nagelsmann is another name that has been linked. Likely to be looking for a job for next season. Ticks all the boxes as a young manager who develops young players and plays good football. Has some great experience under his belt already. But there are also a couple of notches against him. Sacked at Bayern for underwhelming, not really turning things around for the national team.

Both maybe a little harsh given that both Bayern and the national team seem to have bigger problems behind-the-scenes right now. But an inability to turn around a failing juggernaut does not bode well for taking over at Manchester United. Also, his attitude has been questioned once or twice.

The one experienced manager I'd consider is Luis Enrique. He has won everything, plays good football, develops young players, and has managed a mega club. Would he be prepared to leave PSG and would he be prepared to work under our new structure? Who knows? But if you want an experienced hand, he's probably the most suitable.

The one I personally like the best is Roberto De Zerbi, he has EPL experience, has shown ability to develop the team and impart his ideas, has developed young players, and he has a bit of personality.

The final name I'll throw out there is Simeone Inzaghi, he's done a great job with Lazio given the restrictions, while he has Inter playing the best football in Italy, has shown he can develop younger players and looks ready for a step up to a bigger club.

There are probably a few other names and possible candidates and I certainly wouldn't rule out someone I haven't named being hired. While there are many very good, even great managers I have mentioned here, the only one I'd be fairly confident would do a better job than what EtH has done is Luis Enrique. He has the track record.

Which is kind of a quandary about this situation, lots of promising managers out there, but none that looks like a guaranteed hit that cannot fail. Which is why this decision has to be made by those at the club who knows what the vision/ plan is and can therefore decide who best fits that.

Written by Shappy February 25 2024 21:09:54