Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford last weekend keep them at 14th place in the Premier League standings, and was Ruben Amorim’s 17th in 33 outings in the English top flight since his appointment from Sporting Lisbon last year.
Statistically, the Portuguese is United’s worst manager in over 50 years and a poor start to the Premiership, coupled with being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town, has put his continuity at the club under serious pressure.
Amorim’s sacking would cost Man United close to £12 million, but with the first team on a downward spiral since several months and in spite of a significant squad rebuild in the summer, the board has a very important decision to make soon.
With parting ways with their coach now a strong possibility, talkSPORT has reported that Man United have shortlisted Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Gareth Southgate as potential replacements.
Southgate best-placed to replace Amorim
Gareth Southgate was linked with the Manchester United job last year as well after his resignation from the England national team, and when Erik ten Hag was under pressure before being eventually succeeded by Ruben Amorim.
This time around, the 55-year-old might be in pole position to secure the role at Old Trafford as United’s finances might not allow them to sack Amorim and then afford to buy out another manager’s contract, more so from a fellow Premier League side.
Southgate is also a respected figure, particularly by the English players, and his commanding characteristic in the dressing room is what Manchester United need right now, along with a decent level of tactical flexibility which he does bring to the table.
Additionally, neither Bournemouth nor Crystal Palace might be open to letting Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner leave the club midway through the season, so rather than settling for an interim choice, Southgate promises to be the most ideal solution.
