It has been reported by ESPN that current England manager Gareth Southgate is high on the list of possible replacements for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United if new part owner of the club Sir Jim Ratcliffe opts to make a change in the dugout.
Southgate’s last club managerial role was at Middlesbrough, where was sacked in 2009. He took the job of England manager in 2016 and the Euros this summer will be his fourth tournament as Three Lions boss.
United boss ten Hag has endured a difficult second season at United, currently sitting sixth in the Premier League table and having been knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages.
And former United player Gary Neville says he can see Southgate making the bold move to Old Trafford, having previously worked with the club’s incoming sporting director Dan Ashworth during his time with the FA.
“I never saw Gareth Southgate as a Manchester United manager, psychologically, I never saw that. I can see it now, now Dan Ashworth has come in,” Neville said on the Stick To Football podcast.
“I think if Gareth is leaving, I think to be honest with you, you’ll have seen this in tournaments, but it’s never been easy. England will have qualifiers starting up again a couple of months after the tournament, so they’ll have to have a new manager in. And Gareth will need to sort his future out, to get a club for potentially the start of next season.
“So, I think if it’s done maturely, I can see how it would be brought forward in terms of Gareth. Forget Manchester United, England would need to appoint a new manager.
“So, they are going to have to appoint a new manager pre-tournament [the Euros this summer], probably.”
ten Hag could still end the season on a high having guided Manchester United to the FA Cup semi-final with a thrilling 4-3 win against Liverpool and with the opportunity to qualify for Champions League football again next season through the Premier League.
But also speaking on Stick To Football, Roy Keane revealed he could envisage the managerial change materialising.
“I could see that happening”, Keane said.
“I just think, what does Erik ten Hag need to do to stay as Manchester United manager? So, for instance, is the FA Cup enough, or does he need to get top four, or top five, Champions League?
“His (Southgate) connection with Dan Ashworth, who he has worked with previously. Yeah, I’m not that surprised with it.”
