Man Utd ‘favourite’ to replace Amorim could ‘think twice’ after Ratcliffe approach | OneFootball

Keith Wyness has explained why Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner might turn down the opportunity to manage Manchester United.

Ruben Amorim sacked: What to know

The Premier League giants are expected to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season before naming Amorim’s permanent successor, with former manager and club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expected to take charge in the short term.

Amorim was the Red Devils’ seventh – and worst – managerial appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

He led the club to an all-time low 15th-place finish in the Premier League last season and leaves them currently sixth in the table, three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.

Solskjaer is expected to come in to steady the ship and help United qualify for the Champions League. However, when the summer arrives, a permanent boss will be tasked with the poisoned chalice of managing at Old Trafford.

Amorim was the first appointment made by the club’s new hierarchy led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who backed the Portuguese coach with over £200 million in transfer funds last summer despite an abysmal 2024/25 campaign.

It remains unclear whether Ratcliffe will commit further significant investment for Amorim’s successor. If the new manager is asked to work with the existing squad rather than being heavily backed in the market, the British billionaire could struggle to attract his top target.

The club’s number-one target is reportedly Glasner, who led Crystal Palace to the FA Cup last season, the first major trophy in the club’s history.

The Austrian has done an outstanding job at Selhurst Park but has been outspoken about the club’s ownership and lack of backing in the transfer market.

With this in mind, former Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Wyness is not convinced that Glasner would accept the Old Trafford post.

Why Glasner could reject Man Utd

Speaking to Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, he said: “Is there another two or three hundred million for him to get the squad in the way that he wants to do it now? They’ll say they want a coach rather than a manager.

“That was one of the big things with Amorim, which is open for debate. I knew he was coming in basically as a coach, I’m pretty sure about that. But what will Glasner want to do? No doubt he can be more flexible and he can definitely bring something slightly different in terms of the way he’s going to manage things. But will he be happy with the squad he’s got or is he just going to accept the Man United job and say, this is what you’ve got, go on and manage it?

“It’s a whole different Man United proposition, rather than coming in as it used to be, getting the big job at Man United, having money to put your own imprint on the club.

“Glasner does seem favourite at the moment. There’s a number of other names in the hat, but still, if I’m Oliver Glasner, I’ve got to think, is this really the Man United club that I want to go to?

“Now, if they don’t get Champions League again, Glasner might be thinking twice as well. So if he’s the first choice, they may not get it and that’s the reality of where Man United are right now.”