EXCLUSIVE: A former Manchester United star has claimed the club secretly want to appoint Gareth Southgate as their new manager but are wary of one major problem concerning the former England boss
Manchester United ‘secretly’ want to appoint former England manager Gareth Southgate, believes former Red Devils striker Michael Owen.
United are without a permanent manager after Ruben Amorim was sacked on Monday following his bizarre outburst aimed at the Old Trafford hierarchy after the disappointing 1-1 draw against bitter rivals Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday.
Amorim’s sacking was almost inevitable after his scathing public comments against his bosses, and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS team wasted no time in removing the 40-year-old Portuguese boss from his position and named Under-18 coach and former United midfielder Darren Fletcher as the interim replacement.
United’s board now face a crucial decision in the club’s season and their own tenure, which has been a nightmare since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought 27.7% of the club and assumed football operations in February 2024.
INEOS have so far backed the wrong horse in almost every major decision they’ve made, from backing Erik ten Hag to sacking him just months later, before appointing Amorim and keeping faith throughout 14 months of failure.
The next managerial appointment is a huge decision for Ratcliffe and Co, and Premier League champion Owen believes his former club face a major conundrum surrounding appointing the man they really want in charge.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Sport via Caisno.org, where he is UK ambassador, which helps players find the best casino online options in Britain, Owen said: “If it’s short term, then I think it’s probably going to be someone known to the club, like Michael Carrick, maybe even Fletcher if he does well.
“If it’s more longer term, then I think secretly the club would like to employ someone like Southgate, but I just don’t think it’ll be popular amongst the fans, so they might have to swerve that one. I’m not sure.”
Fletcher, 41, prepares to take charge of United game away against Burnley on Wednesday, in what will be his first match as manager of a senior team, but Owen put faith behind his former Old Trafford team-mate and backed him to have a successful career in the dugout.
“I think he’ll be an accomplished manager in time,” Owen said. “He loves the game, he’s got a lot of passion for the game, he thinks about it, he lives it, his two sons obviously play.
“I think this scenario, it’s almost a little bit like what happened with Solskjaer not too many years ago. You can absolutely see if Fletch picks up a good result against Burnley then he’ll probably get given the next game against Brighton.
“And then the next game and then the next game and eventually after six or seven games if he’s doing well, you can see him keeping the job until the end of the season.
“And if he keeps doing well until the end of the season then after all of these disappointments from the last decade or so, who knows. He’s in the box seat at the moment and as I say if he picks up results and does well, then who knows what can happen.”