Gary Neville reveals why Gareth Southgate simply cannot be Manchester United's next manager | OneFootball

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Gary Neville has warned Manchester United against making a move for Gareth Southgate this summer.

The England manager will be out of contract with the Football Association (FA) after the imminent European Championship in Germany and has been touted as a potential replacement for the under-fire Erik ten Hag.

Dan Ashworth, who is waiting to join United from Newcastle as a sporting director, has close links with Southgate from during their time in the FA together.

Ten Hag’s future has been questioned during a turbulent campaign at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils on course for their lowest-ever Premier League finish of eighth.

They are also at risk of missing out on Europe for only the second time in 30 years, albeit they do have a chance to win a trophy in next month’s FA Cup final.

While Neville has praised Southgate for the work he has done with the Three Lions since taking over from Sam Allardyce in 2016, the former United defender does not believe the timings are right.

Euro 2024 starts on June 14 and runs until July 14, meaning it would be impossible for Southgate to get a full-pre season under his belt should England go far in the tournament.

“There’s no way Manchester United can wait until mid-July, when pre-season’s already started,” Neville told the Stick To Football Podcast brought to you by Sky Bet.

“They’d look like they don’t know what they’re doing. And, there’s no way Gareth can announce before a major tournament. He won’t do that.

Gareth Southgate has not managed at club level since 2009

REUTERS

“There’s no way that in a week’s time, we’re going to see an announcement that Gareth Southgate is leaving England after the tournament to go to Manchester United.

“That would just create absolute turbulence in the England squad for a month. He’s not going to do that to The FA or the England players, and create that huge distraction.”