Manchester United are looking for a new manager after sacking Ruben Amorim with Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner among the favourites to take over at Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s relationship with Ruben Amorim ended on a sour note, culminating in the now-former head coach’s departure following the draw with Leeds. However, the Red Devils may still face some tension depending on their choice of replacement.
Oliver Glasner is reportedly one of the early favourites to take over from Amorim permanently.
Known for his outspoken nature throughout his managerial career, Glasner could potentially cause some caution within the Old Trafford hierarchy, especially when considering Amorim’s previous frustrations about being treated as a ‘coach’ rather than a ‘manager’.
Back in November 2020, Glasner – who was then seen as a reserved figure – publicly criticised the management at his former club, Wolfsburg. Glasner took a swipe at their sporting director Jorg Schmadtke, who later played a role in Liverpool’s signings of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch.
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“One of our targets was to bring in a player with pace and deep runs,” Glasner said. “We didn’t manage to do that, despite talking about it for months.”
Schmadtke retaliated in an interview, labelling Glasner’s ideas ‘unrealistic’. The duo’s relationship eventually deteriorated and, despite leading Wolfsburg to the Champions League, Glasner left for Eintracht Frankfurt.
Similarly, during his tenure at Crystal Palace, Glasner has not shied away from expressing his discontent. The FA Cup-winning manager has repeatedly voiced his frustration at the Eagles’ lack of investment ahead of European competition.
“I would have wished for a little bit more backing, yes,” Glasner said back in November. “I think in January we just correct what we failed to do in the summer. By January, we have played 60/65 per cent of the season… Let’s see.”
There were also reports last year that the Palace manager ‘threatened’ to leave the Eagles if they sold defender Marc Guehi on deadline day last summer. That’s something which Glasner went on to deny.
England star Guehi was on the brink of signing for Liverpool, before that deal was abruptly called off. Such actions might serve as a warning to United executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, but Amorim’s comments could also be a cautionary note for Glasner.
Amorim recently expressed frustration over his inability to implement his preferred formation, with Glasner also favouring a setup with three central defenders.
“I have the feeling if we have to play our perfect 3-4-3, that we need to spend a lot of money and we need time,” Amorim said. “I’m starting to understand that’s not going to happen. Maybe now I have to adapt.”
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