Amidst increasing pressure surrounding Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim, the Red Devils have been told by a former Premier League star that former England boss Gareth Southgate is the ideal man to take over at Old Trafford and bring a good feeling back to the club. Southgate had previously been linked with the role before Amorim took over, a decision which has not quite gone to plan thus far.
Southgate could be perfect man for United – Joe Cole
According to former Chelsea and England star Joe Cole, Southgate could be the “perfect” man to take over at Old Trafford if Amorim were to lose his job over the coming months. Cole cited building a new culture and understanding the club and its demands as key aspects in which the former England manager may have excelled more than Amorim.
This comes in a context where the Red Devils have yet to win consecutive Premier League games under Amorim, a disappointing defeat to struggling Brentford undoing the good work from a 2-1 win over Chelsea last time out.
Amidst speculation that Amorim may find himself and his job under pressure if things do not improve soon, Southgate has reportedly been added to a three-man shortlist to replace the Portuguese if the United job becomes available once again.
AdvertisementGettyCould Southgate turn Man United's club culture for the better?
Southgate was not short of criticism during his time as England manager, arguably the only job in English football which comes under more scrutiny than that of the Manchester United boss. On one level, therefore, he should have little issue dealing with the pressure.
Southgate was also credited with bringing back a positive culture to the England dressing room, destroying the ‘cliques’ which had been present under previous managers and forming a fearless, young side which was capable not only of going far into tournaments, but of winning high-pressure penalty shoot-outs.
Arguably the biggest issue surrounding United in recent years has been the culture. Bad eggs within the dressing room, public fallouts between managers and players, multiple star names seeing their careers go off the rails and, most recently, Amorim’s infamous ‘bomb squad’. The likes of Cole believe that Southgate could be the right man to turn these problems around. Some United fans disagree, though, and have expressed their thoughts on social media.
Cole believes Southgate could succeed at Old Trafford
Cole said: “He [Amorim] was the bright young spark, people were talking about him like he was the messiah coming into Manchester United and would sort everything out. That’s how high his stock was when he left Lisbon.
“So, he’s clearly a good manager as well, but the mix and the blend of the whole situation, I think it needs a culture change. I thought Gareth Southgate was the perfect man for the job at the state it was in terms of building culture, understanding the club, understanding the league, understanding the players, working with Jim Ratcliffe and people like that, and they went with Amorim, and it doesn’t look like it’s working.”
AFPPressure on Amorim will increase unless results improve
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Man United board have clearly put a lot of faith in Amorim, even putting the Portuguese’s judgement first in allowing talented players such as Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho to leave. Kobbie Mainoo could be next.
It would therefore be a major turn of events if Amorim were to lose his job soon. With his continued insistence on using a formation which does not suit his players, though, frustrations within the club could soon reach boiling point.
Should the Red Devils find themselves in the bottom half of the table as we approach the winter period, serious questions will need to be asked. Until then, we may be left continuing to wonder how long Amorim will play Bruno Fernandes in the midfield pivot before he realises the Portuguese is simply not suited to the deeper-lying role.
Southgate and Manchester United may appear an unlikely match but if things continue as they are, the opinion of Cole may become less of a controversial one. It will be intriguing to see which path Amorim’s Red Devils take next.
