Gary Neville names the ‘outstanding candidate’ to become next Man United manager

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has thrown his support behind Carlo Ancelotti, naming him the standout candidate to become the club’s next permanent manager.

Neville believes that United should be willing to wait until after the World Cup concludes, when Ancelotti completes his duties as head coach of the Brazil national football team, before making a formal appointment.

His comments come shortly after the sacking of Ruben Amorim, who was dismissed following a poor run of results and a breakdown in relations with the club hierarchy.

Man United’s performances deteriorated week by week, and despite multiple opportunities to climb into the Premier League’s top four, the team repeatedly failed to show consistency or progress.

With Amorim gone, United’s hunt for a new manager has begun, and Neville believes the club must get this appointment right after more than a decade of managerial turbulence.

In his latest Overlap newsletter, as reported by Manchester Evening News, Neville outlined the key criteria he believes the next United manager must meet, emphasising the magnitude of the job and the unique demands that come with it.

“With these last 12 years being a period of massive underperformance for Manchester United managers, there are certain boxes the next candidate now needs to tick,” Neville wrote in the Overlap newsletter.

“1. You have to be able to handle the media and the noise which comes with this club. It is what it is so get over it and deal with it. It’s why you’re getting paid the big bucks.

“2. You have to show that you can have success getting into the top four, that you can cope with Champions League football and that you can get the best out of a group of players that will include egos and superstars.

“3. You must understand the Premier League and English football culture because it’s different to competing in many of the European leagues.

“4. You also have to understand the Manchester United way, which means you have to be a glass-half-full kind of manager. Be positive and prepared to take risks and play with pace and excitement. In all likelihood that is going to a variation of 4-4-1-1 / 4-2-3-1.

“You have got to be pretty special to tick all four of those boxes and, as such, the outstanding candidate for me would be Carlo Ancelotti, even if it would mean potentially delaying his arrival until late July if Brazil reached the World Cup final.

“No-one comes as close to fulfilling everything laid out above than he does. Ironically, the club met with Carlo shortly before his [Sir Alex Ferguson’s] retirement in 2013 and we could have short-circuited this entire process, starting with him at the beginning of the cycle.

“But, by that stage, he was close to agreeing to joining Real Madrid for his first spell in charge and so what might have been a perfect appointment never happened.”

Carlo Ancelotti to Man United?Carlo Ancelotti during his time at Real Madrid (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Neville’s praise for Ancelotti is unsurprising. Widely regarded as one of the greatest managers in football history, the Italian boasts an unparalleled résumé, multiple Champions League titles, league triumphs across Europe’s biggest competitions, and a proven track record of managing world-class squads filled with superstar personalities.

Man United, meanwhile, continue exploring interim options while assessing long-term candidates.

But Neville’s message is clear, if the club want the perfect fit, they may need to be patient and Ancelotti, in his view, is worth waiting for.

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