Sheringham urges fans to accept controversial Amorim replacement with sack 'close'

Former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham believes manager Ruben Amorim is ‘teetering very close’ to the sack at Old Trafford, as he urged the club’s supporters to be more open to the prospect of accepting a controversial replacement.

Amorim dampened down some speculation around his future after his side splashed through the Manchester rain to grind out a 2-1 win against Chelsea last weekend, but doubts over the future of the Portuguese boss remain.

The prospect of former England manager Gareth Southgate being brought in to restructure a club that has been in turmoil on and off the field in recent years was greeted with hospitality by many United fans when it was floated as a possibility last year.

Yet Sheringham has suggested the experienced tactician may be the perfect man to bring some much-needed stability to the club that has lurched from one crisis to the next since the exit of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2013.

The former striker who famously scored the equalising goal in the 1999 Champions League final for United that paved the way for their historic Treble-winning season suggests the calm assurance of Southgate may be just what United need.

“He hasn’t lost his job yet, but Amorim has got to be tinkering close to an exit at United now,” Sheringham exclusively told TEAMtalk, with Coin Poker.

“I never want to see managers lose their jobs because I know how insecure these jobs are, or insecure the job is, but it hasn’t really worked out for him and United could do a lot worse than getting Gareth Southgate to restructure the whole place…”

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Sheringham, while admitting that Southgate may not be the most popular Amorim replacement, believes that he has the potential to be a big success at Old Trafford.

“I know that Manchester United fans didn’t want Gareth to come in after being the England manager for so long and the way his teams played, but for him to come in and steady the ship now and restructure the whole football club into how it should be, I think you could do a lot worse,” Sheringham added.

“They’ve had so many managers who have not understood the club and they have tried to take the club in a different direction, in their own manner. Manchester United is a global club, but obviously, the kingpin of English football, and I think Gareth Southgate would understand that and he would take the club back to where it should be.

“After being the manager of England for eight years, he would understand the pressure that comes with that as well and I think he would be at an even better age now to take on that mantle.”

Sheringham believes Amorim may have been overwhelmed by the size of the club he has taken on, as he suggested he is not the first to feel that emotion.

“Manchester United is a phenomenal football club. One of the biggest in the world, and you realise that as soon as you go in there,” added Sheringham, who arrived at Old Trafford in 1997 following a move from Tottenham.

“Sir Alex Ferguson told me that the day I arrived that I won’t believe what it’s like to play for Man United.

“I thought, I’ll be alright. I’ve been playing for Tottenham and I’ve been playing for England for a good few years now, but he was right.

“Everybody wants to beat you at every second when you pull on a Manchester United shirt and you’ve got to be ready for that.

“People hate you because you’re playing for Manchester United, but top players puff their chest out and say – ‘come on there, bring it on. I’m ready for this’.

“If you haven’t played for Man United, if you don’t understand the stature of the club, if you’re coming into the football club and you’re looking around and thinking it’s massive, it’s too big, you are bang in trouble.”

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Meanwhile, journalist Fabrizio Romano has insisted that on-loan goalkeeper Andre Onana effectively has no chance of breaking back into the United side.

The ex-Inter Milan star was loaned out to Trabzonspor, and the agreement does not contain an option or obligation to buy, though according to Romano, Onana won’t remain at Old Trafford for long upon returning next summer.

‘Something extraordinary’ would need to happen for Onana to reignite his Red Devils career.

In other news, United have reportedly decided against loaning out under-used midfielder Kobbie Mainoo in January, even if the 20-year-old pushes for it.

Mainoo was open to a loan exit over the summer but looks set to be frustrated again as Amorim keeps him on the sidelines.

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