Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is a man under pressure and Gareth Southgate’s name continues to be linked with the hot seat.
This could prove to be one of the biggest weeks of Erik ten Hag’s time in charge of Manchester United.
Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur was, to be frank, a complete disaster.
United were second best throughout and appeared to have absolutely no structure against Ange Postecogou’s free-flowing approach.
That defeat has ramped up the pressure on Ten Hag once again and he faces a pivotal few days.
United travel to Porto in the Europa League before facing Aston Villa away from home – and two defeats could leave Ten Hag clinging on.
Gary Neville on Gareth Southgate
The international break is fast approaching and that is often the prime opportunity for clubs to make managerial changes.
Speculation already surrounds who could replace Ten Hag in the United dugout if Ineos make a change.
One name which just won’t go away is Gareth Southgate.
The former England boss worked with United sporting director Dan Ashworth in the Three Lions setup and now finds himself out of work.
Reports this week suggest that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford are on the same page regarding a move for Southgate.
Gary Neville has now given his verdict on It’s Called Soccer, suggesting that he has ‘never’ imagined Southgate becoming United boss.
Neville appreciates Southgate’s work with England but just can’t imagine fans getting behind him as United boss.
The former United defender has ‘no doubt’ that United fans would be incredibly sceptical if Southgate was appointed.
Neville added that he does think Southgate would sole at least one problem at Old Trafford – the dressing room culture.
“I said last season, I’ve never seen Gareth as a fit for Manchester United or Manchester United to be a fit for Gareth,” said Neville. “I’ve never seen it as something that the club would do, I’ve never seen it as something that Manchester United would do. The only connection I see is that Dan Ashworth has worked with Gareth and Gareth has done a very good job with England.
“Manchester United fans are a bunch of people who have feeling, who have a spirit, and I don’t think they’re connected to this idea yet. Gareth could do exactly what he’s done with England if he was to come in in the next few months or year or whenever it may be, and completely change people’s thinking and change the dynamic around the decision.
“He would come in – not unusually for him because he came into the England job with not a lot of love – he would be coming into Manchester United with scepticism, there is no doubt about that, from Manchester United fans. He would know that; Gareth has been around the block, he would know that it’s not the most exciting appointment for Manchester United fans to be able to look at.
“One thing Gareth would do is weed out the nonsense in that dressing room,” he added.
- READ MORE: Who is Gary Neville? Step into the world of the Manchester United legend turned top-tier pundit
Marcus Rashford verdict on Southgate
Neville clearly feels that United’s dressing room culture isn’t right and urged the players to hold a meeting on Monday.
Southgate certainly solved similar issues in the England camp and United forward Marcus Rashford has previously explained why.
Speaking to Sky Sports in 2022, Rashford praised Southgate for ‘intense’ training sessions and making sure everybody was dedicated to the cause.
“Everyone is ready and I’m raring to go,” said Rashford. “Training has been good for the lads who haven’t been getting as many minutes.
“For this squad, I feel like it’s never really been an issue ever since Gareth has been the manager.
“Maybe before it was a bit of an issue in terms of quality of training, and people’s dedication to training, but since Gareth has been manager it’s been intense. Everyone is ready to step in when needed,” he added.
That kind of influence may solve some of United’s issues, but Southgate’s conservative tactical approach is bound to leave United fans with concerns – if Southgate is called upon to replace Ten Hag at some point.
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