As Manchester United fans know, it is truly rare that a manager unites the fanbase.
Yet this is what Gareth Southgate has managed to do already, for all the wrong reasons.
Southgate is reported by Sky Sports to be on the Manchester United manager shortlist.
But the verdict from supporters is clear, Manchester United fans do not believe Southgate has the credentials to manage the club.
Gary Neville on Gareth Southgate to Man Utd
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville is adamant that Gareth Southgate is a ‘no go’.
He believes a move, right now, simply would not work, and would create too much distraction for Southgate and for England at Euro 2024.
Neville told Stick To Football: “I’ve come to the conclusion that [Gareth] Southgate can’t happen. There’s no way Manchester United can wait until mid-July, when pre-season’s already started.
“They’d look like they don’t know what they’re doing. And, there’s no way Gareth can announce before a major tournament. He won’t do that.”
He added: “There’s no way that in a week’s time, we’re going to see an announcement that Gareth Southgate is leaving England after the tournament to go to Manchester United
“That would just create absolute turbulence in the England squad for a month. He’s not going to do that to The FA or the England players, and create that huge distraction.”
Neville says he believes Ineos will keep Erik ten Hag in charge for now, citing a lack of credible alternatives.
He added: “I think actually they will stick with the manager, at this moment they will stick with the manager.”
- READ MORE: Who is Gary Neville? Step into the world of the Manchester United legend turned top-tier pundit
The timings don’t work for Gareth Southgate or Manchester United
Gary Neville is spot on with his comments and it is refreshing to hear him say it. There is no way Southgate to United is practical for club and country.
United’s first pre-season game is on July 14. The Euro 2024 final is on July 13. In the case England get there, this simply doesn’t work to bring Southgate in at such short notice.
United need a manager for the start of pre-season at the beginning of July, and ideally for June, to prepare and sign players – not one who has been elsewhere, mentally and physically.
And if England get knocked out in the early rounds, that only serves to weaken Southgate’s already paper-thin credentials for the United gig.
Gareth Southgate is the wrong man anyway
Talk about timings and Euro 2024 is in many ways a moot point. The main argument being Gareth Southgate is the wrong man for Manchester United, that’s why fans don’t want him.
Southgate has not achieved anything of note as a club manager, his last stint with Middlesbrough.
At international level, he is yet to win anything either despite having a top group of players at his disposal.
Going for the proven winners approach hasn’t served United too well either, as experiences with Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho demonstrate, but there is very little stacked in Southgate’s favour.