INEOS “will not” make Man United manager decision due to fan pressure, explains ex-winger

INEOS will not make the decision to appoint either Gareth Southgate or Graham Potter as the next Manchester United manager due to “fan pressure”.

With Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United still up in the air, it has been widely reported that INEOS are assessing whether it may be best to sack the Dutch manager from his job at Old Trafford.

After a successful first season, Ten Hag’s men crashed out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup early into 2023/24 and are sitting sixth in the Premier League table, vying for the FA Cup as their final chance of a trophy this campaign.

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A lot has been made of potential managers for next season, with two names appearing several times in the last month: England manager Gareth Southgate and former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter.

However, former Liverpool winger-turned pundit Steve McManaman has explained that, due to pressure of the fans, INEOS will go for a “high-profile” manager.

“I think he would be fine, personally, but I just can’t see it happening. I believe Manchester United have to go for a more high-profile manager than Gareth,” McManaman told BetFred.

“That’s no disrespect to him, but I just think they would have to go for a day-to-day manager, someone who’s been in the job every single day, rather than an international manager. I’d be surprised if they went for someone like Graham Potter too, but they may do.

“I’ve got no idea what David Brailsford and Sir Jim Ratcliffe want to do, but I think with the pressure from the fans, they would have to appoint a big-name manager and a big-name manager that has got something on their CV to say ‘I can manage Manchester United.’

“I think the job is so big. I’ve had this discussion before about certain clubs, but you’ve got to hire the right manager with the right CV and the right stature. You can’t go for managers with question marks over their names and that’s what Gareth would be because he hasn’t been a day-to-day manager for years and he hasn’t necessarily lifted trophies at the highest level and that’s what the Manchester United fans would want.

“You can imagine Gareth or Graham Potter being appointed after Jürgen Klopp for example, and as I’ve said, I really like these managers, but you can imagine what the fans would be like if these managers came in. They would be saying ‘what about this and what about that?’, and as soon as you have question marks over managers, you’re on the back foot straight away.

“You need a manager to come in and be like ‘he’s done this, he’s done that, he’s won this and he’s won that,’ and that’s how you get your message across and win over all the fans because ultimately that’s who you’re trying to please. You might think it’s the right decision for yourself as the boss, but you’ve got 40 million fans around the world who start to question you, and that’s when the trouble starts.”