Who’s Favourite To Be The Next Manchester United Manager?

Manchester United have made a disappointing start to the Premier League season and the best betting sites have a market open on who will be their next manager.

Erik ten Hag’s job is not in imminent danger, but United have begun the campaign poorly. 

Their victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest had a large element of good fortune to them. 

Meanwhile, the Red Devils were beaten by two-goal margins by both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

The dressing room does not seem to be entirely harmonious either. Ten Hag criticised Jadon Sancho and his application in training after the Arsenal, only for the winger to fire back at his manager on social media - comments the player has since deleted.

Man Utd have since confirmed in a statement that Sancho will train away from the first team squad pending the "resolution of a squad discipline issue".

Ten Hag will not be sacked any time soon, but United have been through plenty of managers post-Alex Ferguson and they would have to consider the Dutchman’s position if they were still in the bottom half of the table a few months down the line.

Ten Hag will leave one day anyway, so it is worth considering who might succeed him in the Old Trafford hot seat. 

Let’s have a look at the odds and then discuss some of the potential candidates for the role.

Zidane And Nagelsmann The Two Favourites Right Now

Zinedine Zidane is the 4/1 favourite to be the next Man Utd manager with football betting sites. 

The Frenchman has a fantastic track record at Real Madrid, although he is unproven outside of that environment.

Zidane has been out of work for more than two years now. He was thought to be holding out for the France job, but Didier Deschamps does not look to be leaving that job any time soon.

Like Zidane, Julian Nagelsmann is currently out of work. Things ultimately did not work out at Bayern Munich but he remains an extremely bright coach. 

The German is available at 11/2 to replace Ten Hag in the dugout at Old Trafford.

De Zerbi A Wanted Man But Carrick Unlikely

Roberto De Zerbi looks destined to manage one of Europe’s biggest clubs. He had already built a solid reputation for himself based on his work at Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk, but he has taken that to another level at Brighton.

It is not just that the Seagulls are punching above their weight, they are doing so while playing arguably the most entertaining football in the Premier League. 

De Zerbi is priced at 15/2 with new betting sites to move to Manchester United.

Michael Carrick at 9/1 is not good value, however. The former United coach is struggling at Middlesbrough, who are in the Championship relegation zone at present.

Could Ex-Chelsea Managers Be In Contention?

Graham Potter was reportedly approached by several clubs over the summer, but he has opted to take some time out following his sacking at Chelsea. 

Potter did a fine job at Brighton before De Zerbi, but he was not a good fit at Stamford Bridge.

That could deter Manchester United, who might worry that Potter does not have the personality to lead a club of their size. That is why he is an outsider at 10/1.

United strongly considered Mauricio Pochettino before they appointed Ten Hag. 

He is available at 14/1 and could feasibly fall victim to Chelsea’s trigger-happy approach to managers, although he will surely be given at least a season at the helm.

Rodgers And Conte Among The Outsiders 

Brendan Rodgers (16/1) has been linked with Manchester United in the past but he is not among the favourites to replace Ten Hag. 

Even if the Northern Irishman wins more trophies in his second spell at Celtic, he is unlikely to be among United’s top choices.

That may have something to do with his Liverpool associations, but the fact he was part-responsible for Leicester City’s relegation in his last Premier League spell is a factor too.

Antonio Conte (also 16/1 with betting apps) has also been spoken of as an option for United in the past, but the consensus was that he would not be a good fit. His reputation in England has probably taken a hit post-Tottenham too.

Southgate An Interesting Option Post-England

Gareth Southgate is one of the most interesting names on this list, as it is believed his time in charge of England is winding down. 

Available at 16/1, he is under contract with the national team until December 2024, but could be on the market after the European Championship.

It is hard to see Ten Hag being sacked before next summer unless things go disastrously wrong, which is why this is an intriguing pick.

Broadly speaking Southgate has done excellent work with England and were he to lead them to continental glory in Germany next year, clubs like Manchester United would seriously consider him as their next boss.