Word on the football street is, if Manchester United loses against Sunderland in their Saturday clash at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim will be shown the door, and Gareth Southgate will walk through it as the new man in charge.
It’s been a hell of a ride for the 40-year-old. Just when you think he’s got it, things get worse. With six matches played, the Red Devils have managed to win two, suffered three losses, and have one draw.
But with United once being one of those teams with a long and powerful legacy, this current form is deeply worrying. Smaller clubs no longer fear United, instead, they now see them as an easy prey, ready to be haunted and hunted on the football pitch.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, former Manchester United captain and coach Gary Alexander Neville voiced his disappointment, saying Ruben Amorim is running the club down after Manchester United suffered a 3-1 defeat against Brentford.
The Red Devils are currently sitting in 14th place in the Premier League standings, far from where a club of their stature should be.
“I’m very worried. “There’s no point in me sitting here and saying that I’m not. “The levels of performance, the results, the substitutions… [at Brentford], I saw something [which happened] at the end of the Grimsby game that they lost in the Carabao Cup a couple of weeks ago, which was Mason Mount ending up at left wing back.
“Now, look, we admire managers who are resilient, who are stubborn around the system. We want them to stick to the plan.
“But when you’ve got Mason Mount playing at left wing-back, you’re going to look pretty stupid. And that’s happened twice now. It can’t happen. The first time I thought was unforgivable and it’s happened again.
“He changes his back three and his back five every single game. And the performances and the results are just unacceptable. So I’m really, really worried.
“I would never go on television – I know how difficult a manager’s job can be – and say that a manager should be sacked. But I suspect that the hierarchy at Manchester United are going to want to see a turnaround very quickly.”
The man that everyone is now eyeing, Gareth Southgate, fears he would not be given the time to transform Manchester United into a force again if he became their next manager. According to The Sun newspaper, Southgate is open to discussing a four year rebuild of the club as he believes a lot of work needs to be done.
Right now the 55-year-old is on a tour promoting his new book, Dear England: Lessons in Leadership, and has recently signed up for a BBC show but that might change soon if the right offer is put on the table with time given to rebuild.
