Alan Shearer has suggested that Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel should be the frontrunners for the head coach job at Manchester United.
Manchester United decided to sack Ruben Amorim earlier this week after his outburst in the press conference after drawing against Leeds.
It was later explained that the decision was essentially made before that game following on from an explosive meeting between Jason Wilcox and the Portuguese coach.
The club are now looking for a caretaker manager for the rest of the season but they must also be looking at who they want to take over for the long-term after the season finishes.
Part of their reasoning for getting a caretaker is so they do not make another mistake when appointing the full-time head coach.
Shearer on United sacking Amorim
Alan Shearer has had his say on the managerial situation at Old Trafford and admitted that he ‘wasn’t surprised’ by Amorim’s dismissal.
However, the ex-Newcastle striker added that the potential return of Ole Gunnar Solskjær would be ‘really strange’ and keeping Darren Fletcher or appointing Michael Carrick as caretaker boss would be a better decision.
“I wasn’t surprised at all that Amorim was sacked in the end. I think Ruben Amorim knew it was coming. He gave them no choice with his outburst after the Leeds game,” Shearer told Betfair.
“In any walk of life, if you publicly criticise your boss, you know what’s going to happen. Once he did that, it was just a matter of time. I think he knew what he was doing, he knew the writing was on the wall and that rant was his way of trying to take other people down with him.
“It would be a really strange appointment to go back to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. I understand Darren Fletcher or Michael Carrick, but I wouldn’t understand going back to a guy the club have already sacked. I know Ole played for the club, has a great history and affinity there, and did well as an interim, but they sacked him for a reason.
“I totally understand Carrick or Fletcher to get them through to the end of the season. But it does seem like a recurring thing, and they have to be really careful.”
Shearer says INEOS must do something they won’t like
Shearer also looked at potential long-term options United should consider and named Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel as the main contenders.
Both managers will be at the 2026 World Cup – Tuchel with England and Ancelotti with Brazil – but could be available for a change after the tournament finishes.
Yet, if either of those managers decide to come to Old Trafford, Shearer believes that INEOS must give up control and let them run things, which isn’t a decision the leaders will want to make.
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“If the interim does well, they have to be really careful not to get stuck in that trap again,” added Shearer. “There will be big-name managers available in the summer – maybe Thomas Tuchel, depending on England’s World Cup, maybe Carlo Ancelotti depending on Brazil.
“You stop the cycle by getting a really strong, big character in and letting him do the job. It’s no coincidence that the three clubs at the top – Villa, City, and Arsenal – are all basically run by their managers.”
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