Gareth Southgate rules himself out of running for Man Utd job if Erik ten Hag is sacked

Former England manager says there is ‘no rush’ to return to management amid uncertainty over Ten Hag’s future

Gareth Southgate has effectively ruled himself out of the running for the Manchester United job by revealing he will not return to management for at least the next year.
The former England manager was understood to have been one of the frontrunners to succeed Erik ten Hag if United opted to make a change in the dug-out.
But Southgate – who stepped down as England manager in July after leading the country to back-to-back Euro finals – said on Thursday that he was taking an extended break from coaching in order to fully recharge his batteries after eight years in charge of the national team.
“Sometimes when you are in a big role you don’t realise the weight until it’s gone,” Southgate told the European Club Association’s general assembly. “It is one of those jobs where everybody has an opinion.
“I am enjoying my life so there is no rush. For 11 years I committed fully to the national federation. I won’t coach in the next year for sure. I am certain of that. When you come out of a big role you need to give your body time, your mind time.”
Southgate has refused to rule out a return to club management in time – he spent three years in charge at Middlesbrough between 2006 and 2009 – but said it was unlikely he would coach another national team.
“[A return to] club football? Depending on what role that is,” Southgate said. “I have been fortunate to have worked with fantastic players. You’ve got to have excitement, passion to go to work every day. It is unlikely to be another national federation. England was from the heart.”
Southgate’s decision removes one of the prominent candidates who had been immediately available to United in the event of a managerial change.
Former Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel, whom United interviewed in May before deciding to keep faith with Ten Hag, and former Chelsea manager Graham Potter are the only other two prominent figures currently out of work who have been heavily linked with the Old Trafford post.
Ten Hag’s position is under intense scrutiny at Old Trafford after the club’s worst ever start to a Premier League season, despite a £200 million summer outlay taking his transfer spending to more than £600 million during his two and a half years at the helm.
The Dutchman, who is currently on holiday in Ibiza, expects to still be in charge when United take on Brentford on Saturday week following the latest international break but he is under huge pressure.
United’s powerbrokers met in London on Tuesday for a pre-planned executive committee meeting that lasted for around six hours but there has been radio silence from the club since then about Ten Hag’s future.
United board member and Ineos Sport’s chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc refused to discuss Ten Hag’s future when approached by the BBC at the ECA gathering in Athens this week.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who attended Tuesday’s meeting at Ineos’ HQ in Knightsbridge along with fellow owner Joel Glazer, United board member Sir Dave Brailsford, the club’s chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth among others, refused to offer Ten Hag any public backing when asked about the manager’s future last Friday. “It’s not my call,” Ratcliffe told the BBC.
United interviewed at least half a dozen managers at the end of last season before deciding to stick with Ten Hag by triggering an option to extend his contract by a year to June 2026.
It is thought sacking Ten Hag – who took a hit to his reputed £9 million-a-year salary this season following the club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League – could cost up to £14 million.
That is a substantial figure at a time when United are operating under tight financial constraints in order to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
The prospect of then having to pay hefty compensation to get another manager already in work out of another club would not be an ideal scenario.
Tuchel and former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, now with Marseille, are thought to have been the two candidates whom United showed the most interest in at the end of last season only to ultimately opt to appoint neither. United also spoke with Brentford manager Thomas Frank, Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Marco Silva of Fulham in addition to Mauricio Pochettino, who had just left Chelsea but is now in charge of the US national team.
Berrada and Ashworth publicly backed Ten Hag around the time of United’s 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool on Sept 1 and there was further private backing for the embattled manager in the wake of the shambolic 3-0 loss against Spurs at Old Trafford 11 days ago heading into the games against Porto and Aston Villa.
United subsequently threw away a two goal lead against Porto to trail 3-2 only for a stoppage time header by Harry Maguire to clinch a point in the Europa League.
A drab 0-0 draw followed at Aston Villa, the fourth time in five games United had failed to score in the Premier League, and left Ten Hag’s side languishing in 14th position with just eight points from seven games, their worst start since the 1989-90 campaign.