The man Alan Pardew advocated to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager seven months ago has just been sacked, with his club languishing 17th in the table.
After months of no improvement and bad results, Manchester United finally parted ways with Erik ten Hag last week following defeat to West Ham United.
The Dutchman may have won two trophies in two years but a terrible transfer record and a lack of tactical plan saw him relieved of his duties.
United moved quickly to find his replacement and Ruben Amorim will take charge of the club on Monday after serving his notice at Sporting.
Excitement is growing amongst fans ahead of Amorim’s arrival, especially after he masterminded a 4-1 thrashing of neighbours Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday.
There’s a big job on Amorim’s hands but, at this point at least, United appear to have made a promising and smart appointment.
They did have time to think about it given the pressure had been intense on Ten Hag for months, with only the shocking FA Cup triumph staying his execution.
There has been speculation on who the next manager will be for even longer and Alan Pardew threw his suggestion of Mark Robins into the ring back in April.
However, Robins was sacked from his job at Coventry City on Thursday with the club struggling near the bottom of the Championship table.
Mark Robins sacked by Coventry, Pardew wanted him at United
Robins is a familiar name at Old Trafford and it was his famous goal in the FA Cup that is credited with saving Sir Alex Ferguson’s job when the legendary manager was struggling in 1990.
The 54-year-old had been very impressive at Coventry, taking them from League Two to the cusp of promotion to the Premier League.
His side were defeated by Luton Town in the 2023 play-off final but after failing to finish in the top six last season and starting the new one poorly, he has now been sacked.
As early as April this year Pardew had suggested United should consider hiring Robins to replace Ten Hag.
He said on TalkSport, per TeamTalk: “I’ve got a gaffer for you. He’s not international, he’s not won the Dutch league or the French league but he’s an old player of yours.
“He’s done brilliantly for four seasons, he almost beat you in the semi-final – Mark Robins, there you go.
“Get him in. He’ll do a job for you, I tell you.
“An ex-player who knows the club and knew the club before he went there. He did his apprenticeship before he went there – he’s done his duty, he’s done his homework and knows the levels.
“I’m not his agent, by the way, I’m just saying.”
Robins sacked just months after nearly beating United
Robins was the longest-serving manager in the entire EFL after taking charge of Coventry in 2017 but his remarkable success with the club, which included an EFL Trophy victory as well, has not saved his job.
Though the Sky Blues didn’t make it to the playoffs last season, they did embark on a historic FA Cup run that culminated in a thrilling semi-final tie with United.
Coventry defeated Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Maidstone United and Wolves to set up the trip to Wembley, where they remarkably fought back from three down to take the game to penalties.
They even had chances to win the match but eventually succumed after missing their last two spot-kicks.
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