Man Utd consider hiring three ex-Chelsea managers to replace Ruben Amorim | Football

Manchester United have placed three former Chelsea managers on their shortlist to replace Ruben Amorim.

United sacked Amorim last week after the Portuguese’s underwhelming 14-month spell in charge.

Amorim arrived at Old Trafford as one of the most highly-rated coaches in the world and a two-time title winner in Portugal.

Much was expected of Amorim’s Red Devils but they slumped to a 15th-place finish last season and lost a low-quality Europa League final to Premier League rivals Tottenham.

There was signs of improvement this season but United have still flattered to deceive in the Premier League and suffered an embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town earlier in the campaign.

Manchester United are hoping to appoint a caretaker manager to replace Amorim on a short-term basis next week, with current interim boss Darren Fletcher among the frontrunners to land the gig.

That person will take the reins until the summer when United will appoint Amorim’s permanent replacement.

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England manager and ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner are two of the leading candidates for the Old Trafford job.

But, according to the Daily Mirror, United have also placed two more former Chelsea managers – Carlo Ancelotti and Mauricio Pochettino – on their shortlist to replace Amorim.

Tuchel led Chelsea to the Champions League trophy during his two-year spell at Stamford Bridge and is contracted to England until the end of this summer’s World Cup.

Pochettino enjoyed less success during his Chelsea reign, agreeing to leave west London after just one season before landing his first job in international football as USA manager.

The 53-year-old, who enjoyed the best spell of his managerial career at Tottenham, is hardly convincing in the role as USA boss, however, and is widely expected to move on after the World Cup.

Ancelotti, one of the greatest managers of all time, was at Chelsea between 2009 and 2011, lifting the Premier League and FA Cup trophies in that time.

Like Tuchel and Pochettino, Ancelotti is also an international boss, having been in charge of Brazil since May 2025.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville recently named Ancelotti as the ‘outstanding’ candidate for the job.

‘The outstanding candidate for me would be Carlo Ancelotti, even if it would mean potentially delaying his arrival until late July if Brazil reached the World Cup final,’ Neville told The Overlap.

‘No-one comes as close to fulfilling everything laid out above than he does. Ironically the club met with Carlo shortly before his retirement in 2013 and we could have short circuited this entire process and started with him at the beginning of the cycle.

‘But by that stage he was close to agreeing to joining Real Madrid for his first spell in charge and so what might have been a perfect appointment never happened.

‘After Ancelotti, the next two on my short list would be Thomas Tuchel and Eddie Howe, Roy Keane’s suggestion and one of the names suggested by Ashworth in 2024.

‘Again, these are two candidates who know the Premier League inside out and who both have Champions League experience. Howe now has a major trophy as well.

‘Obviously Tuchel edges it in terms of experience and the quality of the trophies he has won, with Champions League, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 his biggest achievements.

‘He also reached a Champions League final with PSG. He might have played a back three at times but he is sufficiently adaptable to fit the United DNA and plays with a back four with England.

‘What is certain is that whatever the issues, however dysfunctional the club has been in the past and however tricky the task seems, any manager would be excited to take that call from United.

‘United remains a massive football institution, albeit failing on the pitch at present. But at some stage, the tanker will start turning and glory will return to Old Trafford.

‘But much depends on what happens in the next few months and this momentous decision.’

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