Manchester United are in the market for a new manager, and Gary Neville has shared his thoughts on who he would like to see take the job. After Ruben Amorim’s departure, United won’t appoint their new permanent manager until July, with a caretaker set to finish out the current campaign.
Manchester United are in the market for a new manager, and Gary Neville has shared his thoughts on who he would like to see take the job.
After Ruben Amorim’s departure, United won’t appoint their new permanent manager until July, with a caretaker set to finish out the current campaign.
But that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating over who Ineos will pick to lead the club into next season and beyond.
Paul Scholes named Thomas Tuchel as his top choice, backing the German to get more out of the current squad. Roy Keane went a different route, selecting Eddie Howe as his preferred option.
Gary Neville backs Carlo Ancelotti as his ideal choice for Manchester United manager
Manchester United are heading into a lengthy recruitment process, where Ineos are expected to speak with plenty of candidates before landing on their top choice.
Sam Allardyce has already put forward Carlo Ancelotti as the man best suited to steady things at Old Trafford.
Neville echoed that view in The Overlap newsletter, explaining why he believes Ancelotti fits the bill.
Neville listed four key qualities he feels are essential for the job: managing the media, proving success with big-name players, understanding the Premier League, and knowing what makes United tick. In his view, Ancelotti checks every box.
Neville said: “You have got to be pretty special to tick all four of those boxes, and as such, the outstanding candidate for me would be Carlo Ancelotti, even if it would mean potentially delaying his arrival until late July if Brazil reached the World Cup final.
“No one comes as close to fulfilling everything laid out above than he does. Ironically, the club met with Carlo shortly before his retirement in 2013, and we could have short-circuited this entire process and started with him at the beginning of the cycle.
“But by that stage, he was close to agreeing to joining Real Madrid for his first spell in charge, and so what might have been a perfect appointment never happened.”
Neville also sees merit in Keane and Scholes’ picks
While he placed Ancelotti at the top of his list, Neville didn’t dismiss the cases made by Keane and Scholes. In fact, their picks rounded out his own top three.
“After Ancelotti, the next two on my short list would be Thomas Tuchel and Eddie Howe, Roy Keane’s suggestion, and one of the names suggested by Ashworth in 2024.
“Again, these are two candidates who know the Premier League inside out and who both have Champions League experience. Howe now has a major trophy as well.
“Obviously, Tuchel edges it in terms of experience and the quality of the trophies he has won, with Champions League, the Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 his biggest achievements.
“He also reached a Champions League final with PSG. He might have played a back three at times, but he is sufficiently adaptable to fit the United DNA and plays with a back four with England.”
The hiring process could set up two different paths for United – instant success or long-term growth – depending on what matters most to Ineos right now.
Category: General Sports
