What United Should Look For in the Next Manager

A supporter-led look at what Manchester United should prioritise in the next head coach, from front-foot football and youth development to whether proven winners or up-and-comers fit the club best.

My personal preference for managers is based around how closely I think they align with what is my personal view of what our club should be. I want to see offensive, risk taking, front foot football, and I want to see a club that gives youth a real chance.

Ruling out the pragmatists

Which for me instantly rules out pragmatic managers like Southgate, Glasner, Maresca, Inzaghi, Frank, Simeone, Emery, Conte and Tuchel. There are some really top managers there, but I just don't see any of them as a good fit for our club and our traditions.

Historic clubs, such as ours, need managers who buy into that history and tradition. Managers who'll uphold it and even leverage it to the club's advantage. For me pragmatic managers tend to find our history and traditions a millstone that hangs heavy around their neck, pulling them down. Even when they win, if it's not been achieved in the right way then it's still not good enough. Pragmatic managers want and need the freedom to play any style of play they feel is best to get the result.

Just like Jose Mourinho, who is a top top manager, he struggled and drowned at United. Weighed down by the pressure to not only win, but to do so in the "Manchester United" way. Something that went against his footballing philosophy.

The style fits, but does the connection?

Ancelotti, Klopp, Xavi, and Xabi Alonso are also excellent managers who tend to play the right sort of style of football, but I think their iconic associations with other historic clubs might work against them. Will they ever truly feel like they are one of us? Probably not.

That has severely thinned the herd. The remaining potential candidates can probably be sorted into two categories: proven top level managers, and managers who are looking to find the right club to become a proven top level manager.

Proven top level options

In the former group you have Luis Enrique, who if he is available and wants to join you do what you can to secure him. He is the only candidate who I would say it might be worth the club compromising a little on the job role in order to get him in.

The other candidate in this category is Julian Nagelsmann, someone who has developed and improved players, and has shown himself capable of playing great football. However, I have a couple of minor concerns about him. The first is that he has shown himself to be a slightly odd character at times. The other is that I would worry that his close relationship to Christian Vivell could possibly lean into cronyism, which never ends well.

The ones who still need to prove it

The rest fall into the need to prove themselves category.

Marco Silva I think could quietly be an excellent choice: Premier League proven, plays good offensive football, has a good amount of experience. He maybe took a bigger job a little too soon, and has had to take a step back, but seems to have learned from it.

Thiago Motta could be a really interesting pick. His style of play is very unique, but I think it blends well with our ethos. However, he's one of those options that he'll either be an inspired pick or an absolute disaster and nothing in-between.

Mauricio Pochettino still ticks all the boxes that he did while he was at Southampton, Spurs and Chelsea. Good offensive football, trust in youth, worked really well with a DoF model. I think the argument that his teams didn't win trophies is a little harsh as the only club he was ever in charge of that was ready and well placed to win trophies was PSG and he won them there. Southampton are not expected to be anywhere near trophies, Spurs are actually famous for not being able to win them, and Chelsea were on a bad downward turn when he took over. I think he'd be a really solid option.

Roberto De Zerbi has the right style of play, and I enjoy watching his teams. However, he's highly combustible which brings into question his temperament under pressure. I just don't see a world where he doesn't self-destruct as Manchester United manager.

Andoni Iraola's style of play and Premier League experience certainly puts him in the frame. I think he would be a decent choice, but I wonder whether he has experience yet to manage at such an iconic club as ours. Much like Amorim, I wonder if he's quite ready yet.

Sebastian Hoeness is probably the hipster choice, an excellent young manager who due to his family might be better placed to take the step up than other managers of a similar age and level of experience. His style of play is excellent, but it might be a couple of years too soon for him in my opinion.

Kieran McKenna would in my opinion be the next best option in this second category to who will be mentioned last. His style of play is excellent, he knows the club and would understand how you have to manage Manchester United. He's also proven himself excellent at developing youth players. While he lacks the top level experience, he could end up much like Vincent Kompany. Managed a club out of the Championship by playing great football, struggling to maintain that style effectively with those players in the Premier League but stuck by his principles to get relegated. Yet when he then goes to a top side with the players of the calibre needed to play that way effectively at the highest level he could really take off and prove himself a top manager.

That leaves the final option, Micheal Carrick. Remember that old expression, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Carrick has not put a foot wrong yet, and if he maintains that across the rest of the season then unless we can get someone like Enrique from that first group then why take the risk of replacing Carrick with someone who is just as much a gamble if not more so as they have no track record in the role.

Sometimes you have to analyse all the options and search for solutions to your problem, and sometimes the answer just falls into your lap.

For me Luis Enrique should be the top choice if available, then (depending on him maintaining his current ability) it should be Carrick, with Nagelsmann the third choice option.

However, we live in a world where neither Enrique or Nagelsmann could be available this summer. And if Carrick's interim period implodes then McKenna, Pochettino and Marco Silva are the next best options in my opinion.

Written by Shappy February 17 2026 17:18:34