RUBEN AMORIM is prepared to walk away from Manchester United – but which managers are on the shortlist to replace him?
The Portuguese boss was only appointed SIX months ago but has overseen the worst period in the club’s recent history.
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United missed the chance to end another horror season on a positive note as they were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham in the Europa League final on Wednesday night.
Amorim immediately claimed he would quit Off Trafford with no pay-off if the board and fans decide his time is up.
He said: “I’m always open, if they feel that I am not the right guy, I will go the next day without any conversation about compensation.
“But I will not quit. I am really confident in my job. As you can see, I will not change nothing in how I do things.”
United were seven points off a Champions League spot when Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag, but now are a remarkable TWENTY SEVEN points off fifth spot.
Yet Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co are backing the man who has picked up just NINE points since December as United hit a new low every week.
But while the post Sir Alex Ferguson era has got worse and worse, no manager has suffered the humiliation of being 16th in the Prem table, with the cash-less squad needing an entire overhaul.
SunSport takes a look at the six candidates to replace Amorim if he decides to head for the ever-lasting revolving door.
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Massimiliano Allegri
Former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri leads the betting markets at 4/1, according to Betfair.
The pragmatic 58-year-old – once hailed as an “extraordinary technician” by Sir Alex – was a front-runner in October 2024 before Amorim was hired.
Allegri has been out of work since being sacked just two days after winning the Coppa Italia with Juve a year ago.
It’s claimed that he was involved in angry exchanges with officials, a reporter and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli after the 1-0 win over Atalanta – which largely contributed to him receiving the boot.
The decorated coach won five Serie A titles with Juve, as well as five league cups.
He also reached two Champions League finals during his first stint in charge, before returning in 2021 to manage them for a further three years.
Allegri first managed AC Milan between 2010 and 2014, winning Serie A in the 2010-11 season.
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Kieran McKenna
Ipswich boss McKenna was also on United’s shortlist of candidates to replace Ten Hag last year.
The Northern Irishman – who was a coach under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United – is still held in high regard despite being unable to avoid relegation with the Tractor Boys.
McKenna knows United inside out, but whether he’s ready to front England‘s biggest team is another story – just look at Amorim.
Ipswich won back-to-back promotions from League One to the Prem, ending the club’s 22-year absence, under his tutelage.
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Jose Mourinho
He couldn’t. Could he?
The Special One is a staggering 6/1 favourite to make a stunning return to Old Trafford and take over from his former apprentice.
Mourinho guided United to their last European cup victory in 2017 and it’s hard to imagine him losing to Spurs in any final.
The 62-year-old, who is just about to finish second in the Super Lig in his debut campaign with Fenerbahce, spent just over two seasons with United before he was sacked in December 2018.
The former Chelsea boss then spent two years at Spurs before things turned sour in 2019, with United going trophy-less until 2023.
The likelihood of Ratcliffe bringing him back seems slim, especially given his past history with the chaos club who don’t need anymore scandals.
But serial winner Mourinho loves the Prem and will believe he can find success anywhere – before inevitably falling out with everybody.
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Oliver Glasner 6/1
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner’s stock is at an all-time high following his FA Cup success against Manchester City.
Like Postecoglou ended Spurs’ 17-year drought last night, Glasner won Palace’s first ever trophy in the club’s 120-year history.
The 50-year-old has experience of success, having led Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2022.
He also lifted the Austrian Cup twice with SV Ried, where he spent most of his playing career.
Glasner has never lost or conceded a goal to Man Utd either, smashing them 4-0 within months of going Palace in May 2024.
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Mauricio Pochettino
Spurs fans wanted Pochettino back before Ange delivered a trophy at long last this week.
Pochettino, currently paid £4.5m a year in his US national team job, is available at 7/1 to make a return for a fourth stint in the Prem.
The Argentine previously managed Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea, who he left by mutual consent last year.
But Poch, sacked in 2019, just months after leading Spurs to the Champions League Final, has spoken of “unfinished business” in North London.
While 53-year-old was once considered to become a future legendary boss, United fans don’t want to become his fifth Prem club.
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Gareth Southgate
The former England boss has been out of management since leaving his role with the Three Lions after the Euro 2024 final.
In October, he ruled himself out of any dugout jobs for at least 12 months – but may have turned his back on football for good.
Southgate – who is writing a book, been a technical observer for Uefa and gave the BBC’s Richard Dimbleby Lecture – said: “I won’t coach in the next year, for sure. I’m certain of that.
“I need to give myself time to make good decisions. When you come out of a really big role you need to give your body time, you need to give your mind time.”
The ex-Middlesbrough coach was somehow strongly linked to the Old Trafford hotseat last summer, amid uncertainty regarding the future of Ten Hag.
Southgate is said to have admirers within Ineos, but the fans will surely riot if he arrives as gaffer.
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Man Utd ratings: Diallo best player in Europa League final but Hojlund out of his depth
AMAD DIALLO’S fizzing first-half display was little consolation for Manchester United in a dismal 1-0 Europa League final loss to Tottenham.
Rasmus Hojlund’s plight up front continued in one of the worst European showpieces for many years – as both sides showed why they will finish in the Premier League lower reaches.
Spurs clinched it from virtually their first opportunity – on 42 minutes.
Brennan Johnson bundled in Pape Sarr’s inswinging cross, with United left-back Luke Shaw also getting a touch on the way.
The Red Devils dictated possession more and more after the break, with Leny Yoro stretching to test Guglielmo Vicario from a free-kick.
But United’s chances only arrived regularly in the final quarter of a patchy contest.
The Red Devils belatedly piled on the pressure in the seven minutes of stoppage time, but Spurs just held on.
Here’s how SunSport’s Dave Courtnadge rated United on a miserable night individually and collectively for Ruben Amorim’s men…
