Gareth Southgate may be the most successful England coach since Sir Alf Ramsey - but is he ruthless enough to be manager of Manchester United?
The England job comes with harsh scrutiny, but in terms of global attention United is a worldwide institution where the pressure is unrelenting 24/7 and 52 weeks a year. To my mind, Southgate’s England reign has been positive on the whole - but after three major tournaments on his watch, it has also been a tale of missed opportunities.
And Manchester United aren’t in the market for missed opportunities - they have had a decade of those since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. First things first: Erik ten Hag is still in charge at Old Trafford, and if he goes on to win the FA Cup and finish in the top four, there is a difficult conversation to be had about him staying on.
Whatever happens in future, United fans will always savour the memory of that comeback against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals. But Ten Hag knows how football works. There is no smoke without fire, and clearly Southgate has his admirers in co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s football operation.
He is a decent, principled man who would wear the United blazer with pride and distinction. But would he deliver results where they matter most - on the pitch? Southgate has had a golden generation of players at his disposal with England, but so far he has missed the boat when the big prizes were there for the taking.
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In 2018, England were 1-0 up against Croatia in a World Cup semi-final but failed to press home their advantage. In the Euro 2020 final against Italy, they were 1-0 up again but lost on penalties - on home soil and against a side who failed to qualify for the next World Cup.
And in Qatar 16 months ago, England were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals despite nullifying Kylian Mbappe. People talk about Harry Kane’s missed penalty, but that was another fantastic opportunity to go on and win a major tournament.
Southgate has been linked with Manchester UnitedUnited don’t need a manager who is a master of near-misses. They need a winner. Sure, he would enjoy the support of players like Harry Maguire, to whom he has shown great loyalty at international level.
But is Southgate ruthless enough to build an empire like Fergie or Sir Matt Busby? If he was offered the job, and he took it, he would have to hit the ground running because, in the eyes of some fans, it would be an underwhelming appointment.
I like Gareth Southgate as a person. He is a nice guy - but nice guys in football don’t often bring home the trophies.
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