Jainil Shah
Gareth Southgate emerges as a surprising contender for the Manchester United managerial role
With Erik ten Hag’s position at Old Trafford under scrutiny, Manchester United have been linked with multiple managers over the past month, and recently a surprising name has come afloat in Gareth Southgate.
The former Ajax boss’s future at United reportedly lies on whether they can qualify for the Champions League for the 2024/25 campaign and if they win another silverware. Gareth Southgate has emerged as a leading candidate to take over the reins at Manchester Reds if Ten Hag were to be relieved of his duties.
Gareth Southgate wearing the Manchester United blazer and being appointed at the helm is something Roy Keane “could see happening.”
Gareth Southgate’s stock has inflated multiple times since he took over England, and he has become only the second manager to lead the Three Lions to the final of a major tournament. The English boss has handled the transition of the squad brilliantly.
Manchester United’s new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also looking to bring Dan Ashworth in a technical director role at Old Trafford, and the ex-Brighton chief has already worked with Southgate during his capacity with England.
Roy Keane, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, insisted on how he could see Gareth being at the helm:
“I could see that happening [Gareth Southgate being the next Manchester United manager]. Well, obviously everyone’s thinking he’s probably going to be with England this summer if he has a good Championship, thinking if they could win it. And if they don’t, then maybe they’re thinking maybe you’ve ran your race with him. His connection with Dan Ashworth, who he has worked with previously. Yeah, I’m not that surprised with it.”
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The majority of Gareth Southgate’s career has been in an international capacity, and there lay doubts about how he could translate that to club football, where demands change every three days over a sustained period of time.
Southgate has the stature to represent Manchester United after doing a brilliant job of shouldering the pressure of a nation over such a massive timeline. Southgate’s previous relationship with Dan Ashworth will also come in handy as the Red Devils look to consistently compete at the top.
