Gareth Southgate, the England manager, has alluded to a potential return to Premier League management, igniting speculation that he may be in the running for the Manchester United position.
Southgate indicated he wouldn’t be put off by the enormous burden of managing United. He had previously stated that he would be open to accepting any position in the Premier League.
ESPN revealed this week that Southgate is one of three managers who United would want to hire.
According to The Sun, Southgate delivered an interview in December of last year that may inspire minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, even if no decisions have been made on the future of current manager Erik ten Hag.
Southgate stated to Sky Sports that he was open to going back to Premier League management before rumours of a switch from international football to a post with United began to circulate.
On his previous three-year tenure as manager of Middlesbrough, he said: “Everybody would talk about Middlesbrough. ‘Oh, he got Middlesbrough relegated’. Well, yeah, in the third year, we got relegated. But I had three years of Premier League management.”
He added: “There isn’t a job in world football that would intimidate or daunt you, having lived this one [England], frankly. You’re not going to have any higher profile, you’re not going to have any greater pressure, you’re not going to have any more complex issues.”
With Ratcliffe and INEOS as co-owners, the United job is a tough one with the club looking to make changes across the board in order to become competitive again.
Currently in charge of the Three Lions, Southgate exudes confidence and ease in his position. He has had success with the England team, reaching a Euro final and a World Cup semifinal.
He did not rule out leaving when questioned about his future late last year. He said:
“I’m confident in this role. I’m confident in whatever might be in the future.
“Of course, I’m not going to be here for 20-30 years. I don’t know what the future will be. I’m very calm about that.”
ten Hag will not be happy to hear Southgate’s remarks about his intention to join the Premier League, as the Dutch manager could lose his job because of the England boss.
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