Gary Neville has thrown his full backing behind Carlo Ancelotti or another high-profile manager to replace Ruben Amorim as the head coach of Manchester United.
Ruben Amorim watched his Manchester United reign end on Monday after Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe dropped the axe on the Portuguese coach’s 14-month spell.
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The 40-year-old former United manager had seen both the highs and lows during his turbulent managerial run at Old Trafford after his arrival from Sporting CP in 2024.
However, the Red Devils’ Premier League standing and Amorim’s critical post-match United comments after the Leeds United match led to his sacking at the club.
United are now without a permanent manager at the Premier League club, with Gary Neville believing that Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti would be a perfect candidate.
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Carlo Ancelotti became the Brazil manager last summer after the 66-year-old Italian head coach left Real Madrid at the end of the 2024-25 La Liga campaign.
The Brazil head coach ensured in 2025 that the five-time World Cup champions secured qualification to the 2026 edition of the FIFA tournament in North America.
Speaking on Sky Sports, United legend Neville feels that Ancelotti or England manager Thomas Tuchel would be the ideal picks to succeed Ruben Amorim.
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“They should remove the risks,” he said.
“It does look like that’s going to be put off for another four or five months, which I don’t disagree with because if they can get a Carlo Ancelotti or a Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season, a manager of that ilk, then you’d wait for them.
“For so long, over 12 years, the football has been really poor. If you think about the appointments over that time, Jose Mourinho is the only one who fits the criteria of the club.
“Knowing the league, remove the risks. Have they managed in the league and do they know the game here? Have they managed in Europe and done well in [the] Champions League?
“Have they been successful and won titles? Can they handle big pressure and big atmosphere? They have to fit that criteria.”
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Darren Fletcher has stepped in as United caretaker manager and the Red Devils are on the hunt for an interim head coach until the end of the 2025-26 season.
United would have to wait until the end of England and Brazil’s 2026 World Cup campaign in the summer to secure the services of either Thomas Tuchel or Ancelotti.
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Neville argued that Ancelotti and Tuchel are the only real – and obvious – candidates for the United head coach role if the “criteria” is narrowed down to certain factors.
“You’re looking at [Carlo] Ancelotti and [Thomas] Tuchel,” he continued.
“They’ve been in England, won leagues, won the Champions League and managed big players. They won’t get a bit scared if a pundit says something.
“My point is, if you think about that criteria, it only points towards two or three people.”
Manchester United Under-18s head coach Darren Fletcher will be in charge for the Red Devils’ third-round FA Cup clash against Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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