INEOS targeting “genius” Amorim replacement at Man Utd who Fergie loves

“Where do we go from here?”. The opening line to Radiohead’s ‘The Bends’ are apt for those at Manchester United, with INEOS no doubt pondering over which direction to turn following Ruben Amorim‘s sacking.

It’s fair to say, the Red Devils have tried it all in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

There’s been the Premier League-proven British coach (David Moyes). The experienced, eccentric wildcard (Louis van Gaal). The enigmatic serial winner (Jose Mourinho). The Ferguson disciple (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer). The trendy Ajax tactician (Erik ten Hag). And finally, the exciting, up-and-comer from Portugal.

Trophies have been secured across the last 13 years, although not exactly the right ones, with INEOS’ plan to win the Premier League by 2028 now looking less and less likely with each passing week.

In the short-term, United are set to go for the safe option, but when the summer comes around, who will be the next permanent manager of this turbulent outfit?

Latest on Man Utd’s search for a permanent manager

It was only earlier this week that Amorim was dismissed from his post, although the decision over his interim successor appears to be dragging on, with Darren Fletcher set to remain in charge for Sunday’s FA Cup clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick are vying, alongside Fletcher, to be the man to take the reins until the end of the season, with that trio likely to all harbour hopes of doing enough to be awarded the job permanently this summer.

As was seen with Solskjaer in 2019, United have been down that road before, with INEOS instead having a six-month period to settle on an elite outsider to permanently replace Amorim instead.

According to the Mirror, a stellar shortlist is already being drawn up at Old Trafford, with the long-term in mind, with long-standing target Mauricio Pochettino again under consideration.

As per the report, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co are keen to move away from Ferguson’s influence at the club, Pochettino is a man whom the Scotsman is said to be a big admirer of, having repeatedly pushed for the ex-Tottenham Hotspur coach to be appointed in the past.

Much like another leading target, Thomas Tuchel, the United States coach is out of contract following this summer’s World Cup, making him an attractive option.

Why Pochettino would be a dream Amorim replacement

For a long while it seemed as if Pochettino was destined to be a Manchester United manager, having been in the running to replace both Van Gaal and Mourinho in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

The 53-year-old was again overlooked in 2022, with United opting to go for Ten Hag instead, as well as in 2024, with the Argentine likely to have felt that the ship had sailed.

Now, this summer could finally be the time when the stars align, even if the Red Devils have to wait until after the World Cup, with Pochettino’s prior work in England making him a dream candidate to replace Amorim.

There is a sense that he is something of a ‘nearly man’, having failed to win silverware at Spurs, although that ignores the fine work he did in turning the north Londoners into a young and formidable outfit, even with limited backing from Daniel Levy.

The man to lead the Lilywhites to the 2019 Champions League final, ‘Poch’ secured a top-four finish in four of his five full seasons in charge, having been somewhat harshly dismissed just a matter of months after that European showpiece.

Noting at the time of his sacking, journalist Alex Keble described the ex-Southampton man as a “genius” and arguably “too good” for Levy and co, with those in north London since enduring their own period of managerial upheaval.

As for Pochettino, he hasn’t quite kicked on as expected, albeit while dealing with the chaos of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, prior to dealing with the chaos of BlueCo and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

No stranger then to working at something of a basket case club, the one-time Espanyol man would surely slot in nicely under INEOS, with his solitary season at Chelsea having not exactly been a disaster, after guiding a youthful side to sixth, while overseeing the breakthrough campaign for Cole Palmer.

A man who can nurture young talents like Palmer, Harry Kane and Dele Alli, while deploying an exciting, attacking brand of football, he is arguably the perfect fit for a club like United.

Maybe, there is a sense that his chance has come and gone, after coming close to taking the job on numerous occasions, but 2026 might be the year for the bridesmaid to become the bride.

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