Leading candidate rejects Man Utd job as INEOS have already sacked his close ally | OneFootball

Manchester United officials have reportedly been informed that Gareth Southgate has politely ruled himself out of the potential race to replace Ruben Amorim.

The free-falling Premier League giants are enduring yet another miserable start to the campaign. They have already lost three of their first six Premier League fixtures, and have also been eliminated from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Grimsby Town in an embarrassing fashion.

Needless to say, Amorim is now walking on thin ice. After all, the 40-year-old hardly covered himself in glory last season after replacing Erik ten Hag, as he oversaw the team’s horrifying spiral towards the bottom of the table, and eventually finished in a miserable 15th place, while also missing out on the Europa League after a hollow display in the final.

Gareth Southgate doesn’t want the Man Utd job

While INEOS continue to publicly and privately back the under-fire boss, the club’s officials have certainly begun to study the available options, as the mentally ‘broken’ Amorim might not last for too long, and his sacking could become an act of mercy, albeit a costly one (circa £15 million).

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

In recent days, several names have emerged as potential candidates for the Man Utd role, with some considering Southgate as one of the main favourites due to his good relations with INEOS.

Nevertheless, The Mirror insists that the 55-year-old will turn down the opportunity should it come his way.

Did Dan Ashworth’s exit impact Southgate’s decision

The source recalls how Southgate was heavily considered by the Man Utd co-owners in 2024, when Erik ten Hag’s fate seemed to be sealed. However, the then-England boss was primarily focused on the European Championships, so the Reds ended up rewarding the Dutchman with a new contract following his FA Cup exploits, only to sack him a few months later.

However, the report notes a key difference between this stage and the summer of 2024, as Dan Ashworth was Man United’s sporting director at the time. The latter is a good friend of Southgate, as the two men had worked together in the past, particularly with the English national team.

INEOS managed to appoint Ashworth following a gritty effort in 2024, and even agreed to pay Newcastle for his early release. And yet, the director only lasted for a few months at Carrington before being shockingly shown the door last December, albeit the official statement claimed that his departure was by ‘mutual consent’.

While it remains unclear how much of his decision is down to United’s unsavoury treatment of Ashworth, Southgate seemingly wants nothing to do with the Red Devils at this stage of his career.