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Manchester United have reportedly shifted stance on former England boss Gareth Soutgtate even as scrutiny on Ruben Amorim intensifies.
Amorim’s job hanging in the balance
Amorim is facing a tough battle to remain United’s head coach, with growing calls for his dismissal amidst the club’s woeful start to the season.
United currently sit in 14th place in the table, having lost half of their opening six games. The latest defeat, a 3-1 thrashing at the hands of Brentford, sparked fresh questions over Amorim and whether he is the right man for the job.
Since his appointment as Erik ten Hag’s replacement, Amorim has mustered an alarming 34 points in the 33 Premier League games he has taken charge of. He boasts a measly 27.2% win rate
He has yet to muster back-to-back top-flight victories.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the leadership group are thought to still have faith in Amorim but their resolve will surely be tested if results and performances don’t improve.
Already, there are rumours that succession plans have kick-started, with the likes of Southgate, Oliver Glasner, Andoni Iraola and Michael Carrick (on an interim basis) all under consideration.
A report covered by The Peoples Person claimed that Ratcliffe held meetings with Southgate in recent weeks, but this claim was subsequently quashed. The Southgate-to-United speculation refuses to completely go away, but a new update has indicated that the former England manager’s support inside Old Trafford has waned.
United’s stance on Southgate
TEAMtalk contend that United have no plans to hire Southgate if they pull the trigger and part ways with Amorim.
Journalist Dean Jones said for TEAMtalk, “Gareth Southgate is being mentioned as an option for United, and while it certainly has been considered previously, I’m not sure that he is still as highly considered as he once was.”
“It’s not the solution to this. The message I have been given is that internally, there is not as much support for him anymore, and I would be very surprised if that was a direction they would look to go in.”
“If they change manager, there has to be an immediate spark and an immediate sense of positivity and urgency and belief, and I just feel like they would not get that from Southgate at this time.”
TEAMtalk note that Amorim is “teetering on the edge”, with the Portuguese coach fully aware that his approach is not yielding results.
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