England Boss Gareth Southgate is set to become the new manager of surprising Premier League club
Gareth Southgate is one of three potential replacements for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford that Manchester United is “assessing.”
ten Hag has struggled this season at Manchester United, and new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is hunting for managers to replace him in the summer.
At this point, ESPN reports that “options are being explored to gauge credentials and availability of possible replacements.”
Ratcliffe and Ineos are “assessing” three managers: Southgate, Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, and Brentford’s Thomas Frank.
One insider told ESPN that “everyone is looking at De Zerbi,” referring to reports of interest from Chelsea, Barcelona, and Liverpool, among others.
Frank, on the other hand, is probably being neglected; his “success in building a high-energy team at Brentford while embracing the London club’s data-led approach to recruitment has earned him admirers at Old Trafford.”
Although Southgate is a “outsider” for the post and has not played club football since being fired by Middlesbrough in 2009, he remains a candidate and has not decided if he will stay with England beyond Euro 2024.
England’s manager Gareth Southgate
But Southgate’s close working relationship with Dan Ashworth, Man United’s soon-to-be sports director, could be critical, given that the two collaborated throughout Ashworth’s six-year tenure as the FA’s head of elite development.
Even if fifth place is sufficient according to England’s UEFA coefficient, Champions League qualifying remains unlikely, since United would need to catch up with Tottenham, who have played one fewer game, by six points.
The club is allegedly aware that Ten Hag’s “reputation remains high in Europe,” particularly in Germany, where Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen, and VfB Stuttgart are all interested in appointing him as manager after this season.
