With Manchester United set to appoint a new permanent manager at the end of this season, Gary Neville has had his say on who would be his dream choice.
With Ruben Amorim gone, Manchester United are not moving on into a new era until July, with a caretaker manager set to conclude this season.
However, this hasn’t stopped speculation from heating up over who Ineos are going to choose to lead the club from the 2026/27 season and onwards, hopefully back toward the pinnacle of the sport.
Paul Scholes picked Thomas Tuchel as his top contender, tipping the German to get the best from the current squad available.
Meanwhile, Roy Keane interestingly chose Eddie Howe as his best-case scenario as the next manager.
Gary Neville had another name in mind.
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Gary Neville selects Carlo Ancelotti as dream Manchester United manager
Manchester United now face a five-month recruitment process in which Ineos will probably speak with dozens of managers before settling on ‘the one’.
Well, Sam Allardyce has picked Carlo Ancelotti as the only man who can take over at United and fix the club.
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Now, Neville has also named the Italian as the manager he wants United to appoint, writing in The Overlap newsletter, he explained why.
Neville outlined four boxes that a manager needs to tick: handle the media, show success with a group of superstar players, understand the Premier League, and know the United way.
Considering these categories, Neville wants Ancelotti.
“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 retirement in 2013, and we could have short-circuited this entire process and started 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.”
Prove me wrong… Carlo Ancelotti should be Ineos’ top option to become permanent manager this summer!
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Neville also agrees with Paul Scholes and Roy Keane
While picking Ancelotti as the clear standout option for United, Neville also agreed with his fellow club legends Keane and Scholes when it came to his second and third choices.
“After Ancelotti, the next two on my short list would be Thomas Tuchel and Eddie Howe, Roy Keane’s suggestion, and one of the names suggested by Ashworth in 2024.
“Again, these are two candidates who know the Premier League inside out and who both have Champions League experience. Howe now has a major trophy as well.
“Obviously, Tuchel edges it in terms of experience and the quality of the trophies he has won, with Champions League, the Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 his biggest achievements.
“He also reached a Champions League final with PSG. He might have played a back three at times, but he is sufficiently adaptable to fit the United DNA and plays with a back four with England.”
Ancelotti and Tuchel are the two best options for United to go and immediately get back to being more successful.
If Ineos are targeting a Premier League title in the next few years, these are the two guys. But if it is long-term success that is desired, United may look elsewhere.
The desire for Ancelotti and Tuchel from club legends represents a desperation for the club to be successful again.
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