Man United “highly unlikely” to consider Gareth Southgate as manager

Manchester United are “highly unlikely” to consider Gareth Southgate as an option should a disastrous start to next season see the club need to replace Erik ten Hag.

A report by The Daily Mail reveals Old Trafford officials have “throw all their energy into backing” Ten Hag after an end-of-season review by INEOS resulted in the offer of a 12-month contract extension being accepted by the Dutchman.

While the extension was not necessarily a clear demonstration of faith, it was a peace offering after a protracted period of uncertainty where INEOS refused to commit to Ten Hag publicly.

In this time, INEOS entered negotiations with a number of prospective coaches to potentially replace Ten Hag, with Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi thought to be at the front of this queue.

However, despite these public courtships of other managers, there is likely to be acceptance on Ten Hag’s part of the unique position INEOS found themselves in, having inherited a coach they did not choose, who was in the midst of one of the worst season’s in the club’s history.

The triumph of the FA Cup victory over bitter rivals Manchester City at Wembley will have undoubtedly played a strong role in convincing INEOS to stick with Ten Hag, and there will have been appreciation of the impossible situation the Dutchman was forced to manage this season, owing to injuries as well as the ongoing uncertainty of the takeover.

But an 8th-placed league finish with a negative goal difference, having crashed out early in the Champions League and Carabao Cup in embarrassing fashion, is as close to an untenable season as it gets at a club the size of United. Privately, Ten Hag will know his own performance as a manager matched his players – nowhere near good enough.

In this period of uncertainty while INEOS deliberated over the Dutchman’s long-term future, one name who was constantly linked as a potential replacement was Gareth Southgate.

The 53-year-old coach, most recently as of this morning, the England manager, has close ties to Sir Dave Brailsford and Dan Ashworth – two influential figures within the new executive structure at Old Trafford. Accordingly, there were numerous reports revealing United were willing to wait until after Euro 2024 to enter negotiations with Southgate about taking over from Ten Hag.

These reports did not appear accurate, however, as the club’s end-of-season review decided a a new deal for Ten Hag was the best route forward in the short-term.

However, the nature of the deal – a one-year extension on his existing contract – does not signal long-term faith; rather, it is a reset for the Dutchman, to the position he found himself in at the start of his second year. He has two years remaining on his current deal and the full support of the club behind him.

Should United begin next season in the manner they did last year, however, INEOS are extremely likely to act quickly and decisively to make a change. While Ten Hag has earned their faith in the short-term, he has not yet earned their patience.

But, if United are to need a replacement for the Dutchman, The Daily Mail reveals they are “highly unlikely” to make a move for Southgate, who resigned as England manager today following the Three Lions’ disappointing defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024 on Sunday.

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