Man Utd accused of Southgate plan as ‘deep concerns’ likely to force change with Sunderland loss
Man Utd have been accused of planning to install Gareth Southgate as their new manager while Ruben Amorim is still in charge as reports claim the Sunderland match could be the Portuguese head coach’s last.
The Red Devils have not challenged properly for a Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013 with Man Utd limping from one problem to the next.
Man Utd keep making the wrong managerial appointments or recruiting the wrong players, while the structure of the whole club has come under scrutiny in recent times.
Things have not improved since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS bought a stake in the club with the new co-owners overseeing the club’s worst season in the Premier League era.
Man Utd missed out on Europe by finishing 15th in the Premier League table and losing to Tottenham, who don’t like winning cups, in the Europa League final.
Former Man City defender Joleon Lescott reckons Man Utd are hoping to change fan opinion of bringing in Southgate by making it “so bad” under Amorim.
READ: Five reasons why Ratcliffe is right to pick Southgate as next Man Utd manager
Speaking on In The Mixer, Lescott said: “What I think is happening, I reckon they’ve flirted with Gareth Southgate in the past and I don’t think there were many United fans who wanted that.
“But I believe they’re letting it get so bad now with Ruben Amorim and they want Southgate, they’re thinking it’ll get to a point [where fan opinion will change].”
On Southgate, Lescott added: “I reckon he’s arguably the best person for their transition and the level of transition they’re in. How many people are talking about the culture at United? Which I don’t know about by the way. Southgate is the only man I would say would go in there and create a positive culture.
“He galvanised England. Which was harder than changing the culture at United. He brought fans together. They weren’t always together, from my experience.
“They weren’t. I always felt with England it was always Chelsea fans wanting Chelsea players to do well, Liverpool fans wanting Liverpool players to do well. People wanted Frank Lampard to be the man more than Steven Gerrard.
“Whereas now England fans are England fans. They want England to do well. I think from a Manchester United point of view and a culture change, Southgate is the man.”
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Who will be the next Man Utd manager if Ruben Amorim is sacked?
👉 Glasner has ‘eyes set’ on Man Utd job as he ‘turns down’ latest Crystal Palace contract offer
👉 Man City legend Kevin de Bruyne questions £38m Man Utd transfer: ‘It’s really important’
Our friends at TEAMtalk have revealed that ‘”deep concerns” from internal figures at the club will likely force a change’ if they lose to Sunderland at the weekend with Amorim facing ‘serious repercussions’ if he doesn’t get the right result.
Former Man Utd assistant manager Rene Meulensteen insists that the Premier League club is “broken in two ways” after their 3-1 defeat to Brentford over the weekend.
Meulensteen said on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast: “The club is broken in two ways. Everybody can see that they’re broken on the pitch, they come up against Brentford with a new manager, they’re finding their feet.
“If it was under [Thomas] Frank, you would know you’re in for a game against Brentford, he will throw the kitchen sink at you.
“Credit to Brentford, because they had a game plan and it worked a treat, and Manchester United has got zero ability to turn that around to some extent. They’re broken there.
“The club is also broken, off the field. The culture that I was part of and that Sir Alex built was a fantastic culture to be a part of, and it was a family, everybody together. Everybody was looking after each other, and everybody felt valued to some extent.
“All those things that have happened in the background, with the ownership, with Jim Ratcliffe coming in, the redundancies, the whole culture Alex Ferguson built for 26 years has been completely stripped away.”
READ: The five people most to blame for the Manchester United mess
Man Utd forward Bryan Mbeumo admits Amorim’s system is “different” for him to get used to but insists the players must take more responsibility.
Mbeumo told Sky Sports: “It’s a little different for me. I’ve played this system in the past as well.
“Obviously, we hear a lot of things, but it’s our responsibility to find the good things and to be better. I don’t think there is anything about this system, it’s just us and improving in certain areas.”
On their start to the season, Mbeumo continued: “I think everyone in the team needs to take responsibility. When you play in a club this big, everyone needs to know what to do. As a team, we need to do better.”
Speaking about his start at Old Trafford, Mbeumo said: “It’s exciting, because we get to learn to play with new players and it’s always challenging, but that’s what we like as footballers.
“Of course it will improve, we haven’t played a lot together, so there are certain things that we’re going to improve, and there are different types of players, but it’s good to be with them.”
