Man Utd: ‘Exciting’ manager’s ‘eyes set’ on Old Trafford job but his ‘system all wrong’

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner is ready to take charge of Manchester United and is waiting for Ruben Amorim to get sacked, according to a source, but Paul Merson has outlined the reasons why Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe should not appoint the Austrian, with Fabian Hurzeler also responding to rumours linking him with the Old Trafford job.

Amorim was appointed the Man Utd manager only in November 2024 following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag, but his position at Old Trafford is already in doubt. Man Utd finished 15th in the Premier League table last season and are sitting in a lowly 14th spot right now, with the Red Devils having also crashed out of the Carabao Cup in August, losing to League Two club Grimsby Town on penalties in the second round.

Sources have told TEAMtalk that Man Utd do not plan to sack Amorim before the Premier League match against Sunderland this weekend, with director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada firmly behind the former Sporting CP manager.

However, pressure will mount on Amorim if Man Utd slip up against the promoted club, as fans get frustrated with the Portuguese boss not willing to change his 3-4-2-1 even when it is not working.

TEAMtalk understands that Man Utd are already looking at potential candidates to replace Amorim should they eventually have to sack him, with Glasner one of them.

Glasner took charge of Palace in February 2024 and guided the Eagles to 12th place in the Premier League table and also led them to FA Cup success last season.

The London club are sitting third in the table right now with 12 points from six matches, just three points behind leaders Liverpool. Palace have also made a winning start to their Conference League campaign, beating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 away from home in the League Stage on Tuesday.

However, Glasner is out of contract at Palace at the end of the season, and, according to indykaila News on X, the Austrian is ready to take charge of Man Utd.

The account posted at 10:30am on October 2: “Exclusive Oliver Glasner has turned down the latest contract offer from Crystal Palace.

“We understand he’s got his eyes set on the @ManUtd job. For Glasner to stay at Palace, they’d need to throw an extraordinary contract his way, complete with some serious release clauses.

“It’s clear he’s aiming higher. And let’s be real, once Ruben Amorim gets the sacked, it’s going to be fireworks at Old Trafford.

“The managerial landscape is shifting, and Glasner will be right in the mix for the hot seat at Manchester United.”

While indykaila News broke some major transfer news in the summer and was even cited by The Athletic journalist David Ornstein once, there have been occasions when the account has been called out.

On the subject of Glasner, BBC Sport, too, has reported that Glasner has yet to agree to a new deal with Palace.

‘Sources have told BBC Sport that Glasner was offered a new contract earlier this summer, but has yet to put pen to paper on an extension,’ reports Sami Mokbel.

The report adds: ‘Sources close to Palace claim the chances of Glasner staying are remote, that the perceived transfer inactivity over the summer was taken as a sign that he and the club are not aligned in terms of their ambitions.’

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Why Man Utd should avoid Oliver Glasner – Paul Merson

While BBC Sport does not mention if the Palace manager would be willing to take charge of the Red Devils, sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Fraser Fletcher, that Glasner, despite being ‘under serious consideration’ at Man Utd, might need to be convinced because of the Premier League club being viewed ‘as a poisoned chalice amid ongoing off-field turmoil’.

Glasner has done extremely well at Palace after being a huge success with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 51-year-old Austrian led Eintracht to Europa League success in the 2021/22 campaign.

Former Man Utd interim manager Ralf Rangnick said about Glasner to LAOLA1 back in March 2023: “For me, Oliver Glasner is currently one of the most exciting coaches – not only in Germany, but in all of Europe. An absolute top coach.”

However, Paul Merson does not think that Glasner would suit Man Utd, with the former Arsenal star outlining why his system would face the same problem that Amorim’s has at Old Trafford.

Merson told Sky Sports: “Oliver Glasner has been incredible at Crystal Palace. What a job he’s done there – it’s unbelievable really.

“He’s a brilliant manager. He doesn’t get too up and doesn’t get too down. It’s very impressive.

“He’s put a team together and they are all very comfortable in their positions. Everyone knows their job in the team. He has the players for the system and that’s huge.

“Let’s say Ruben Amorim was manager at Palace now, he’d half have a chance of being a success.

“Palace have the players to play three at the back. They have the attributes in their squad to play in that system.

“For me, that’s why I’d be concerned about Glasner going to Man Utd. He’s a three-at-the-back man and it is being proven that it is a system that just doesn’t fit the players at Man Utd.

“Glasner is not a good fit for Man Utd. Of course, I’m sure he’d be adaptable, and he’s proven with how he handles the players, but the system he uses is just all wrong for United. Amorim can tell you that.”

Merson, though, believes that Glasner would take the Man Utd manager’s role if it were offered to him.

The Sky Sports pundit continued: “There’s no rush for Glasner. I think he’s alright where he is, at the moment. However, he will have a problem if Man Utd come calling.

“It’s been proven over the years that people can’t turn down United.

“Even though what is going on at the club is not great, the name is still one of the biggest clubs in the world. How do you turn that down? You don’t.

“How many times does the Man Utd job come along in a lifetime? Just ask Ruben Amorim. He wanted to wait to join in the summer but moved straight away because you might not get the chance again.

“Any manager going to United would know they have their work cut out, but they would still not turn down the opportunity.

“It might never come again.”

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Fabian Hurzeler responds to Man Utd job links

Fabian Hurzeler is one of the youngest managers in the major leagues in Europe, and the Brighton and Hove Albion boss will surely have aspirations to further his career.

The 32-year-old German was asked about the prospect of leaving Brighton for Man Utd, and his response was very diplomatic.

The Mirror quotes Hurzeler as saying: “Tough decisions and rumours are always part of this job so you have to accept it, you have to deal with it, but I really want to say that I have a lot of respect for Ruben Amorim so I won’t talk about his job or any rumours that might come regarding him.

“I’m really privileged to be a coach for Brighton and Hove Albion, I’m very happy here and we still have a lot of work to do.”

Former Brighton striker Warren Aspinall, though, believes that Hurzeler is too young for Man Utd to consider him as their next manager should they sack Amorim.

Aspinall said on BBC Radio Sussex’s Albion Unlimited podcast: “I think the press are just putting two and two together and getting five at the moment.

“Hurzeler is still young, he’s 33 years of age (he will actually be 33 in February), he hasn’t got much experience and for a team like Manchester United, it would be a big risk to take a manager who’s had one season in the German Bundesliga 2 and a couple of seasons in the Premier League.

“The next one for United they have to get right because they’re having a shocker.”

What’s the latest on Man Utd’s manager search?

While Glasner is firmly in contention to take charge of the Red Devils should Amorim get sacked, Man Utd have ruled out appointing a manager that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently met, sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones.

We can also reveal how Andoni Iraola feels about leaving Bournemouth for Man Utd, with the Spaniard among the managerial candidates that have impressed the Old Trafford chiefs.

Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim’s reaction to being told by his Man Utd bosses to change his formation has been revealed.

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