Why England manager is the perfect candidate to fix this mess for Ratcliffe
Rewind to 2016, when Gareth Southgate took charge of what was a broken institution amid a toxic environment, and you will find one of the reasons Manchester United will consider the England manager as a successor to Erik ten
Hag if they decide to sack the Dutchman.
England were so low, coming off the back of their Euros humiliation against Iceland, that even Southgate was initially in two minds over whether he wanted the top job. United 2024 is not so dissimilar to England 2016, with a realignment of culture and environment just as important as the rebuild of the squad that is so obviously needed. Central to the England transformation was Dan Ashworth, who will soon become sporting director at United in the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era. In his former role as Football Association technical director, Ashworth was well aware of Southgate’s strengths long before the rest of us, having worked closely with him during his time as coach of the Under-21s.
Ashworth, perhaps because of the posts he has held at West Bromwich Albion, England, Brighton and Newcastle United, has never appointed a so-called trophy manager, so it is not hard to understand why United’s next man will not be picked solely on silverware. He has hired Southgate and Graham Potter, and worked successfully with Eddie Howe, who are all considered similar collaborative characters.
The case against Southgate becoming the next United manager is easy enough for his critics to make, but scratch beneath the surface and the argument in his favour is perhaps more compelling than many appreciate.
Southgate has never won a trophy as a manager, experienced relegation in his only other club job at Middlesbrough and has, at times, been held back by in-game conservatism. But the pressure on England at each major tournament is comparable to the conditions a United manager works under, with every decision scrutinised, each selection and performance endlessly debated and a failure to win treated as a disaster.
Southgate has proved himself one of the best communicators in the game and has been able to unite a nation and his squad. That is relevant, given some of the