England is the frying pan to the fire that is Manchester United, and to jump from high-level scrutiny every few months to every few minutes is quite the leap for someone who last managed a club in 2009.
Nevertheless, talk of Gareth Southgate replacing Erik ten Hag at United has been rife this week, with former captains Roy Keane and Gary Neville admitting they can see a clear path for the England boss to take charge at Old Trafford after Euro 2024.
Southgate even addressed the speculation himself, calling it “disrespectful”.
“There are two things from my point of view,” he said on Friday. “One is that I’m the England manager. I’ve got one job: to try to deliver a European Championship. Clearly, before that, two important games this week.
“The second thing is Manchester United have a manager. It’s always completely disrespectful when there’s any speculation about a manager that’s in place.”
Notably, there is not a peep about Southgate taking the reins from Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, of ousting Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, or even managing Harry Kane and Eric Dier at Bayern Munich, but merely noise around United – a factor which is said to have irked the club in a week they had hoped positivity around Ten Hag would be growing given the 4-3 win over Liverpool.
After all, this is one of the most coveted, and difficult, roles in club football, so how could a manager who has been away from the club game since he was sacked by Middlesbrough 15 years ago have any chance of taking on this not-even-vacant role?
There are seemingly only two reasons: Southgate’s connections with Sir Dave Brailsford – the pair said to be in a WhatsApp group of elite coaches called “Leaders 8” – and also sporting director Dan Ashworth, who is on gardening leave at Newcastle ahead of an expected move to Manchester United.
Ashworth was previously the FA’s technical director and was credited with implementing the “England DNA” project, a philosophy that focused on supporting youth players on their journey to the senior teams – a culture aimed to unite all levels in the hope it would one-day lead to success.
No surprises, then, that this is the man United want. For the Lionesses, silverware followed the project’s execution, and while the jury may be out on the men’s senior side, they undeniably improved as the 2010s unfolded and are now favourites to win Euro 2024.
That heavy burden has wrapped itself around the shoulders of Southgate, the disciple turned leader – having sat beside Ashworth in 2014 when the nation’s U21 boss to discuss all things England DNA – who has carried the baton and created a healthy environment within the men’s senior team that the old golden generation would never have thought possible.
This makes for a huge tick as far as United are concerned, so too Southgate’s statesmanlike addresses, be it when defending Harry Maguire, when condemning the racists after Euro 2020, or when he penned the eloquent “Dear England” letter just before that tournament began. “I have never believed that we should just stick to football,” he wrote. “I know my voice carries weight, not because of who I am but because of the position that I hold.”
Such self-awareness and willingness to show authority while in a public position followed that 2018 when England reached the World Cup semi-finals. That year “Southgate You’re The One” became the unofficial summer anthem, while there were even calls for him to be Prime Minister, a chalice as poisoned as the role of United boss (since Sir Alex Ferguson left Old Trafford, there have been five permanent United bosses – and five PMs).
All this is to say Southgate’s character is exemplary, and more suited to a role away from that of head coach – and no, this isn’t a play to suggest a late run in the upcoming general election.
Simply, he should move upstairs within the England setup, overseeing the continuous cultivation of a system he has helped thrive. Few, surely, would contend with that, as it plays to his unquestionable strengths.
It is also a step away from a contentious weakness, one that has some fearing he has taken this England side as far as he possibly can – within touching distance of a trophy but crucially not lifting one.
That is his tactical nous. The question-marks around his in-game management are valid, so too his ability to better the great minds of club football. He may watch it week in, week out, with a birds-eye view – thus allowing him to absorb – but down in the dugout it is a different story.
Southgate would be no match for Pep Guardiola, and for that matter, a host of other managers too, from those who have long made this their craft – Klopp, Unai Emery, David Moyes – to the burgeoning talents across the Premier League in Mikel Arteta, Gary O’Neil, Rob Edwards and Andoni Iraola.
Crucially, he is arguably no match for Ten Hag in this department either. Few may see a clear style and tactical system under the Dutchman’s watch, but Southgate would not be an improvement.
He does not evoke the possibility of a revolutionary overhaul, one this club – FA Cup or not, Champions League football next season or not – evidently needs, even if Ten Hag’s stay of execution will last until at least the end of the season.
Therefore, dozens of managers out there are better suited to United than Southgate. To list them all may take up another 900 words, but if push comes to shove and Ten Hag gets the boot, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Brailsford and (eventually) Ashworth would need to look beyond their reported fondness for Southgate’s ways and seriously consider what he would bring on the pitch.
Results will dictate this new United era. Right now, Southgate’s nearly moments for England don’t cut it in that regard.
With that in mind, let’s revisit all this after Euro 2024.
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