Neville and Keane pick Man Utd replacement for Amorim if sacked | Football | Sport

Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes have revealed their preferred candidates to replace Ruben Amorim should Manchester United lose faith in the under-fire manager. The Portuguese boss has faced mounting scrutiny this season after a disastrous start to the campaign, including an embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town.

Reports suggested Amorim’s job was hanging by a thread ahead of Saturday’s clash with Sunderland, though a convincing 2-0 victory against the Black Cats has provided temporary respite. Minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly backed Amorim with time to turn things around, yet it remains difficult to envisage United persisting with the former Sporting CP boss should they find themselves languishing in the bottom half again – particularly after splashing over £200million on fresh talent during the summer window. Should the Old Trafford hierarchy decide to wield the axe, club icons Neville, Scholes and Keane have already identified their preferred successor.

Both Neville and Keane have thrown their weight behind long-serving Atletico Madrid chief Diego Simeone. During an appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane expressed his enduring respect for the passionate Argentine tactician, who has guided Atletico to La Liga glory and Champions League finals.

The former United captain declared: “I’ve said it for years, I’d like Atletico Madrid’s Simeone to go in there. I’d like to see him go there. I know his mate has gone to Arsenal [Andrea Berta, who left Atletico to join the Gunners as sporting director].

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“I think he would just create havoc, but good havoc. He’d rock up to that place. No guarantees, but I’d just like to see his personality, his track record. People might think styles of football, [but] they scored five against Real Madrid [winning 5-2] last weekend. He doesn’t like his teams giving up too many goals or chances, but they can play a bit and fight.

“At Liverpool [where Atletico lost 3-2 in the Champions League] a few weeks ago… the team aren’t as great as few years ago, but they still had fighting spirit. He’s on the sideline, he got sent off that night, I’d like a big personality.”

Nevertheless, Keane isn’t demanding Amorim’s immediate dismissal just yet. He quipped: “I’d still say give the man a chance, absolutely. Another week.” Neville backed Keane’s stance, declaring: “I think I’d go with that. I’d go with Simeone.”

Meanwhile, Scholes opted for Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, though he expressed doubts about his long-standing assistant, Jason Tindall, accompanying him. He remarked: “I’m not sure about his mate [Tindall], but definitely him [Howe].”

Amorim appears destined to receive additional time, however, based on Ratcliffe’s recent remarks on The Business podcast. He declared: “He has not had the best of seasons. Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That’s where I would be.

“The press, sometimes I don’t understand. They want overnight success. They think it’s a light switch. You know, you flick a switch and it’s all going to be roses tomorrow. You can’t run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions to some journalist who goes off on one every week.”