Gareth Southgate 'lays out two demands' to replace Ruben Amorim at Man Utd

Gareth Southgate would demand time and patience from Manchester United if he was to succeed Ruben Amorim. The former England manager is reportedly debating whether to throw his hat in the ring for the managerial position with the Red Devils should Amorim be sacked.

However, it is suggested that Southgate would hold reservations about taking up tenure with the club and would demand four years to turn the tide at Old Trafford, which the board may not be willing to give him. As per the Sun, sources suggest that the boyhood United fan would need assurance that the top brass would stick to any long-term goals planned.

The publication also claims that Southgate harbours concerns that the board would demand instant success from him, while he takes an approach centred around gradual success over a prolonged period. The 55-year-old has been out of work since stepping down as England manager last summer, after guiding the Three Lions to a runners-up place at Euro 2024 - losing 2-1 to Spain in the final.

But the former Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough star-turned-head coach has been linked with a managerial job with United since Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased a minority stake in the club last February. Mirror Football understands he has serious reservations about taking the job.

READ MORE: Ange Postecoglou responds to brutal 'sacked in the morning' chants after Nottingham Forest defeat

READ MORE: Nottingham Forest fans turn on Ange Postecoglou with brutal chant in Europa League clash

Southgate isn't the only manager who has been linked with succeeding Amorim. Palace boss Oliver Glasner and Brighton's Fabian Hurzeler have been rumoured as favourites to make the move to Old Trafford in the event of Amorim's departure, while the Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane and Barcelona icon Xavi Hernandez have also seen their names tossed into the mix.

That's despite United ultimately showing no signs of parting ways with Amorim just yet, as he approaches his first full year at the helm. The Portuguese tactician took over the club after the sacking of Erik ten Hag last October, but could only manage a lacklustre 15th-place finish in the Premier League for the season.

While Amorim was ultimately forgiven for a dismal showing, given he worked largely with the squad he inherited from the Dutchman, the 40-year-old will not be afforded the same excuses this time out. That's because the Red Devils board provided him with substantial backing this summer to make improvements to suit his patented 3-5-3 style of play, as well as a full pre-season tour to fine-tune his squad.

While Amorim was ultimately forgiven for a dismal showing, given he worked largely with the squad he inherited from the Dutchman, the 40-year-old will not be afforded the same excuses this time out. That's because the Red Devils board provided him with substantial backing this summer to make improvements to suit his patented 3-5-3 style of play, as well as a full pre-season tour to fine-tune his squad.

It appears as though nothing has worked yet thus far, however, with United currently languishing at 14th in the Premier League standings after six matches, with just two wins and one draw to show for their efforts. And with an in-form Sunderland to play on Saturday, October 4, as well as games with the likes of Liverpool, Brighton and Tottenham on the horizon, the outlook could be far worse for the head coach in the coming weeks.

Southgate hasn't managed in the Premier League since Middlesbrough were relegated from the English top flight in 2009. Instead, he turned his attention to international management with England in 2013, first taking the reins of the U21 side before promotion to the first-team three years later.

While he failed to win a major trophy with the Three Lions, he successfully guided them to runner-up places at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, as well as a third-place finish in the UEFA Nations League in 2018/19.

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.