GB News journalists name their picks for next permanent Man Utd manager after Ruben Amorim sacking

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks set to arrive on a temporary basis to steady the ship. When it comes to permanent replacements for Amorim, however, it's less clear who the fallen giants will opt for.

GB News journalists have been discussing the subject in their Paddington newsroom, so read on below for our picks.

Paul Coyte: Thomas Tuchel

I’ve never known an interim interim. It seems that United are in quite a pickle.

The possibility of runners and riders to take the top job at Old Trafford is looking more like the start of the Grand National.

Although everyone of them from Darren Fletcher (interim to the interim) to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy (possible interims) will say they won’t want the top job (OGS has already had it) but how could you not want arguably the biggest job in domestic football or should I say, the biggest poison chalice?

The permanent position apparently will be filled in the summer, presumably after the World Cup.

The two main names in the frame, are Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel.

Being a Tottenham fan I will rule Poch out as just in case things don’t work out with Thomas Frank (time of writing, very possible) and he has ‘unfinished business’ with Spurs, so that’s a possibility.

As for Tuchel, I think he will be their No 1 target.

United need a manager with Premier League experience. Too many players and managers come unstuck when they head to the biggest league in the world (Mr Amorim), and experience of managing at a huge club.

PSG tick. Bayern Munich tick. They have huge expectation from fans and constant scrutiny.

I think he’ll do well in the World Cup but the big question is will he leave England for Manchester United? I think he just might.

Aidan Magee: Thomas Tuchel

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer represents a low-risk short-term option for the board until the summer when their permanent targets – Thomas Tuchel included – are likely to be available.

Having just paid £30million in severance payments to remove Amorim and his coaching staff, United won’t want to pay compensation to appoint a manager already in a job elsewhere.

Solskjaer is revered by supporters worldwide and United need a unifying figure right now. He took United to a Premier League runners-up position in his last full season.

He was defeated on penalties against Unai Emery’s Villarreal at the 2021 Europa League final in Gdansk. On reflection, his record doesn’t look so bad.

If Solskjaer can have a similar impact as when he won 14 of his first 19 games after taking over in an initial caretaker role in December 2018, then United will at least secure European football, even if not a place in the Champions League.

When looking at longer term targets, Thomas Tuchel will meet many of United’s requirements. He has won major trophies at multiple high-profile clubs across Europe.

He has managed big name players and proved his capability as a decision-maker. The scale of perhaps the world’s biggest club is a challenge he would embrace.

He is a free agent after this summer’s World Cup. He knows the Premier League and will already have worked with some of the United squad.

As with every appointment, though, there are risks attached. Tuchel doesn’t hang around in jobs very long, and he has a track record of squaring up to a meddling hierarchy.

And what if he arrives at United this summer off the back of a failed World Cup campaign? That will put him on the backfoot before he starts work at Old Trafford.

Beyond Tuchel, could Carlo Ancelotti be tempted by a return to Premier League with one of the few legacy clubs he has not already guided to success?

Again, much will depend on how he fares with Brazil at the World Cup.

Jack Otway: Roberto Martinez

Here me out on this one.

Roberto Martinez is obviously a polarising figure. To some, it's a mystery as to how he's been able to acquire managerial jobs with Portugal and Belgium, having previously managed the likes of Everton, Wigan and Swansea.

But that's because the Spaniard is a terrific coach. More than that, he can keep egos in check.

Belgium's dressing room was full of them. From Eden Hazard to Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois to Romelu Lukaku, Martinez was able to keep them united.

It has been a similar story with Portugal, too. They still play Cristiano Ronaldo at every chance but Martinez knows how to keep dressing room politics in check.

Every player seems to enjoy playing under him. Martinez is clear with his instructions and goes for an offensive 4-3-3, with two creative forces either side of an anchor.

He will be a free agent this summer when his Portugal contract expires, making him an intriguing prospect.

That said, Martinez would be a gamble. Kieran McKenna and Marco Silva are my alternatives. Unai Emery, though undoubtedly the best candidate, is out of reach.

Ed Griffiths: Gareth Southgate

Manchester United do not need another revolutionary tactician. They do not need a philosophical purist, a system-heavy ideologue, or a short-term fixer.

One of the heaviest criticisms of Amorim was his stubbornness regarding a failing three-back system, which, ironically, was one of the reasons the board brought in the Portuguese coach.

What they need is leadership, stability, and a manager who understands that the problem with United is culture, not tactics.

Sir Gareth Southgate made the nation fall back in love with football. Millions were able to dream again after decades of hurt. Sound familiar?

Southgate’s greatest strength has never been his formation board. It is his ability to build unity, restore confidence, and create an environment where elite players perform together.

When he took over England in 2016, he inherited a fractured, cynical national setup scarred by years of underachievement. Within two tournaments, England were competing in World Cup semi-finals and European Championship finals, playing with composure rather than fear.

That transformation did not happen by accident. It was cultural.

United, like England in 2016, are a club burdened by history. The weight of past greatness has crushed more managers than it has inspired.

Southgate understands this pressure intimately. He knows how to respect tradition without being paralysed by it.

In England, whilst many questioned his tactical decisions on the pitch, he created a new narrative of honouring the badge while freeing players from the ghosts of the past. United need the same psychological reset.

Amorim understood football, but failed to know Manchester. His departure, despite being based on internal conflicts, was made easy for higher-ups as fans also wanted him gone.

Southgate’s England side consistently won the games they should win, a basic requirement that has too often eluded United in recent seasons.

Equally important is Southgate’s man-management. He has handled egos, generational talents, and media scrutiny with calm authority. Players trust him. They feel protected, valued, and accountable.

For a United squad that has too often looked fractured and emotionally brittle, this is not a luxury. It is essential. A unified dressing room is the foundation of any sustained success.

Southgate also aligns with United’s long-term vision. He believes in youth, patience, and progression. His integration of young England players mirrors the club’s own tradition of developing talent rather than simply buying solutions.

In an era where United are trying to rebuild intelligently rather than impulsively, Southgate represents continuity and coherence.

This appointment would not be about instant fireworks. It would be about restoring identity, credibility, and belief. Sir Alex Ferguson once said that the job of a manager is to build a club, not just a team. Southgate understands that truth better than most.

United don’t need a saviour. They need a steward. And Southgate, steady, principled, and quietly formidable, may be exactly the leader to guide them back to the top.

Whilst admittedly, he might not be the man to restock the trophy cabinets within Old Trafford and Carrington, five years with a national hero who understands English fans arguably better than anyone else on the market would set the sleeping giants up with a platform to retake Premier League dominance.

It will not happen, but the Red Devils need a knight in shining armour in a moment of crisis.

And who’s to say it stops there? Dreamers on the Stretford End might already be daring to imagine Sir Gareth steadying the ship at Old Trafford and with him, Harry Kane might just be tempted to make a sensational return to these shores.

Callum Vurley: Kieran McKenna

It is time for United to go a little different to their current method of either plucking random managers from around Europe or big-name super coaches, and go with someone who knows the club inside out.

Kieran McKenna has proved he can coach an entertaining and attacking side, as well as managing the seismic task of taking Ipswich from League One to the Premier League.

Yes, he might currently be operating in the Championship, but he is still a young coach at 39, and has been in charge of the Tractor Boys for half a decade (an eternity in manager years).

Having coached the United academy before his role at Ipswich, as well as being one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s assistants, McKenna knows the club well and can help bring through the next generation of top starlets at Old Trafford

Lewis Henderson: Oliver Glasner

With the success Oliver Glasner has had at Crystal Palace with an FA Cup, and Frankfurt with the Europa League, a move to United seems like the next step in his managerial career.

Marc Guehi is set to depart either this month or at the end of the season, so he will be losing his captain, and I could see two or three more departures from Selhurst Park at the end of the campaign.

United seems like a step up for him, and they are in desperate need of a proven winner, which they can find in a solid, still-rising Austrian manager.