A manager who Oliver Glasner described as “amazing” is now being targeted by Manchester United as a replacement for Ruben Amorim.
Amorim under fire after Brentford defeat
After the 3-1 defeat against Brentford over the weekend, Amorim is under fire once again, with Jamie Carragher describing the 40-year-old’s time at the club as a “disaster”, and suggesting it is “inevitable” he will be sacked.
It is also revealed that just one of the 17 ever-present Premier League clubs have collected fewer points than Amorim since his arrival at Old Trafford, underlining just how poor Man United have been under the helm of the former Sporting CP boss.
Alan Shearer has suggested that the only reason INEOS haven’t dismissed the manager already is because they don’t want to admit they got another decision wrong, saying: “I genuinely believe that the owners or the people that are running the club at the minute have made that many errors in the last two years or 18 months since they’ve been there. It would look terrible to admit another error and sack (Amorim).”
That said, the United hierarchy are clearly now planning for life after Amorim, with a report from The Sun revealing that Brighton & Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler is now under consideration as a replacement for the Portuguese manager.
INEOS are said to have drawn up a three-man shortlist, which also includes Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner and AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, with the board evidently keen on bringing in a proven Premier League manager.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is still backing Amorim for the time being, but contingency plans are now being put in place, with Hurzeler one of the managers being targeted, having performed well at Brighton, leading the Seagulls to an eighth-placed finish last season.
"Amazing" Hurzeler impressing in first Premier League job
At 32-years-old, the Brighton boss is the youngest manager in the Premier League, but he has shown maturity beyond his years, with Glasner being left particularly impressed by the work his opposite number has done in England and Germany.
The Palace manager said: “He did an amazing job in Germany with St. Pauli. Also, what I always like with every manager is when you can see a clear style of playing and this is what he implemented in Germany, in St. Pauli, and what he implemented here with Brighton.
“He does a fantastic job there.”
The German has averaged 1.70 points per match during his time with the Seagulls, having taken charge of 53 matches, suggesting he would be a big upgrade on Amorim, with the United boss averaging 1.35 over 49 games with the Red Devils.
With the former St Pauli boss preferring to implement a 4-2-3-1 system, appointing the up-and-coming manager could mean a welcome return to four-at-the-back for Man United, amid widespread calls for Amorim to tinker with his system.
That said, it would be a risk to appoint Hurzeler, given his age, with United perhaps in need of a more experienced manager, who has a proven track record at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.