Manchester United next manager odds: ex-Chelsea & Everton bosses among early favourites
The early betting odds as Manchester United begin the search for Ruben Amorim’s successor.
Ruben Amorim has been sacked as Manchester United manager just a day after he hinted at a breakdown in his relationship with the board with his fiery comments after the 1-1 draw with Leeds United – and Ineos are now searching for another new manager to supervise their ongoing rebuild.
"I just want to say that I'm going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach. I was really clear on that,” Amorim said just hours before his dismissal. “That is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal.”
Having hinted at frustrations at transfer and recruitment strategy bypassing him and suggested that he would leave at the end of his contract, the United board took the decision to get rid of him a year and a half early – but who will take over at Old Trafford?
Darren Fletcher will take charge on an interim basis but United will be seeking a permanent replacement soon. Below, we’ve compiled a list of the ten managers who have the lowest bookmakers’ odds at the time of writing, along with the best odds available for them.
Oliver Glasner & Enzo Maresca among early favourites for Manchester United job
Oliver Glasner (7/2): There have been rumblings that Glasner may eventually leave Crystal Palace for some time, and United may well seek to take advantage by appointing the impressive German head coach themselves. But would a coach who isn’t noted for his willingness to be diplomatic behind the scenes be the best appointment for a club that just fired their manager rather than try to work on their relationship with him once a rift emerged?
Enzo Maresca (6/1): Maresca has only just been sacked by Chelsea under remarkably similar circumstances to those under which Amorim left United – but the Italian may well be the biggest and perhaps best name on the market who isn’t attached to another team.
Laurent Blanc (10/1): The former United defender has been out of work since Al-Ittihad sacked him in September, a dismissal which followed a single, solitary loss in the Saudi Pro League. The former France, PSG and Lyon head coach has had a sporadic career in management but his ties to Old Trafford means his name always comes up in these conversations.
Xavi Hernández (10/1): The legendary midfielder has been available since leaving Barcelona in 2024 but built up enough of a reputation at the Camp Nou that he could well be in the mix for another big job. If United don’t want to wait, then Xavi could be an easy appointment to make.
Gareth Southgate (12/1): This may seem unlikely but the bookmakers clearly don’t think so – Southgate was available at a price of 5/1 in some places on Monday morning, despite suggesting that he was taking an extended break for management following the end of his tenure as England boss.
Fulham & Bournemouth bosses also in reckoning after Amorim’s sacking
Marco Silva (12/1): The Fulham head coach has been successful enough at Craven Cottage that his name is being floated as a candidate for several big vacancies, and the one at Old Trafford won’t be any different. Expect him to be considered, at the very least.
Julien Nagelsmann (12/1): Would Nagelsmann really leave Germany with a World Cup on the horizon? Probably not, but a couple of bookmakers clearly suspect that he could be tempted by a big club job given the betting odds.
Ruud van Nistelrooy (12/1): Given how disastrous Van Nistelrooy’s spell at Leicester City last season proved to be, we find it hard to believe that United would turn to their former striker – as with Nagelsmann, we suspect these odds will drift once reality sinks in.
Andoni Iraola (14/1): The Bournemouth coach has developed a reputation for playing exciting, attacking football and for developing youngsters, and will surely get a shot at a big gig sooner rather than later. Perhaps Manchester United will be the club to offer him that opportunity.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær (14/1): Again, we suspect that the early market largely consists of bookies putting familiar names in the mix as a fishing exercise, rather than because they really believe that the United board will turn back to Solskjær, who is unemployed after leaving Besiktas last year.
Other managers with similar odds include Edin Terzić, Simone Inzaghi, Mauricio Pochettino, Unai Emery and Kieran McKenna.