Enzo Maresca, Oliver Glasner and Darren Fletcher are the early frontrunners to replace Ruben Amorim as Man United manager after he was sacked less than 24 hours after a hugely controversial interview following his side's 1-1 draw with Leeds.
Straight after the game, he sparked speculation about how long he would remain in charge of the club by strangely taking exception to the idea of being called United's "coach" rather than "manager", while making numerous references to being at United for "18 months" until the end of his contract.
Unsurprisingly, this outburst irked the board and he has been quickly ousted as manager, leaving the club searching for a new one less than a week into January 2026. Who are the favourites to replace Amorim as Man United manager?
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Next Man United Manager Betting Odds
*Accurate as of 11:00 on 05/01/2026 - all best odds with Bet365.
| Next Man Utd Manager | Odds |
| Enzo Maresca | 5/2 |
| Darren Fletcher | 7/2 |
| Oliver Glasner | 4/1 |
| Gareth Southgate | 10/1 |
| Xavi Hernandez | 12/1 |
| Kieran McKenna | 14/1 |
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Who is the favourite to be the next Man United manager?
The next Man United manager odds suggest Enzo Maresca is now likelier than Oliver Glasner to replace Ruben Amorim as Man United manager, while Darren Fletcher is a live contender to inherit a squad featuring his two sons!
The club's interest in Maresca comes just days after he was shown the door by Chelsea. Follow the latest odds with AllSportsPeople!
Why was Enzo Maresca sacked by Chelsea?
A 1-1 draw against Premier League leaders appeared to mark Chelsea out for a title challenge. In reality, it was the start of a run of two wins in nine matches across all competitions, one of which was against League One Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup.
Maresca hit out, seemingly at Chelsea's sporting directors, when he claimed the 48 hours between the Champions League defeat at Atalanta and a brief return to winning ways against Everton had been his worst at the club.
Darren Fletcher Manager Profile
The club's under-18's head coach and former player Darren Fletcher is in the running to replace Ruben Amorim after it was confirmed he will take charge of Wednesday's first team game with Burnley. Let's look at his record with the under 18's since taking over in July 2025.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| Man United Under-18's | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 |
Why is Glasner among the favourites to take over?
Oliver Glasner, 51, has only been with Crystal Palace since February 2024 but has significantly enhanced his already strong reputation by winning both the FA Cup - the first major trophy in the club's history - and this season’s curtain-raiser, the Community Shield. He was already a Europa League winner in his two-year spell with Eintracht Frankfurt.
His reputation with the Palace board reportedly soured as last summer's transfer window drew to a close due to the club's stance on the future of Marc Guehi (following the sale of Eberechi Eze), although the 25-year-old's proposed move to Liverpool eventually fell through.
Like England defender Guehi, Glasner's contract at Selhurst Park expires at the end of the season. If Palace continue to entertain the idea of selling their best players, the ambitious Glasner won't hang around too long. United may well be his next port of call!
Why was Ruben Amorim sacked by Man United?
It's too coincidental for Ruben Amorim's sacking not to be linked to his odd "coach" rather than "manager" comments in the aftermath of the game at Leeds.
Amorim's recent public comments had already hinted at disagreements within the United power structure, most likely with the man in charge of recruitment — sporting director Jason Wilcox.
The suggestion is that Wilcox believed Amorim should be more tactically flexible, while the head coach — who has bristled at the idea of being told to change systems before — expected at least some transfer activity straight out the blocks in the January window.
United were interested in Antoine Semenyo, but the Bournemouth winger has chosen to sign for Manchester City instead. While this is not Wilcox's fault, the fact that the proposed £65 million for Semenyo looks unlikely to be diverted towards another top target this month was reportedly a big source of frustration for Amorim.
And, of course, performances on the pitch have hardly been mind-blowing. They have been hard to beat of late, but the 1-1 draw yesterday left United 17 points behind league leaders Arsenal.
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Other contenders to replace Amorim at Man United
Enzo Maresca, Oliver Glasner and Darren Fletcher might be the market favourites but there is intrigue throughout the betting board to replace Amorim as Man United manager.
A former player for the club, Laurent Blanc is an outside chance, while Gareth Southgate — a long-term favourite for the INEOS board — remains in the top five contenders.
Ruben Amorim Coaching Record
Before reaching United, Amorim had a nearly spotless coaching record, albeit coaching exclusively in his native Portugal.
He began at third-tier club Casa Pia, where accurate data of his coaching record is not available. He then joined Braga's youth and reserve coaching setup, where he grew as a manager, eventually taking charge of the club for 13 games through the 2019-20 season.
Amorim quickly rose to prominence, leading Braga to the domestic league cup title. He would soon take over at Sporting CP later that year, joining the club to replace the dismissed Jorge Silas. In two full seasons at Sporting plus some extra on both ends, Amorim became renowned for his 3-4-2-1 system.
He was hired at Manchester United to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag in November 2024.
| Club | Games | W-D-L | Win % | Dates in charge |
| Man United | 63 | 24-18-21 | 38.1% | Nov. 11, 2024 — Jan. 5, 2026 |
| Sporting CP | 231 | 164-34-33 | 71% | Mar. 4, 2020 — Nov. 10, 2024 |
| Braga | 13 | 10-1-2 | 76.9% | Dec. 23, 2019 — Mar. 4, 2020 |
Ruben Amorim Contract: How much has it cost Man United to sack him?
Given his salary, the decision to sack Ruben Amorim is likely to cost United close to £10 million plus any further compensation for his coaching staff.
That's because according to an article published by The Sun just after Ruben Amorim was appointed by Man United, his contract was worth £6.5 million ($8.7m) per year.
That breaks down to around £125,000 ($167,000) per week. His contract ran until June 2027, while United held the option to extend it by a further year.
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Record of Man United managers since Sir Alex Ferguson
Below is a breakdown of all the managers to have taken charge of Man United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, listed in chronological order. Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick are omitted from the table, as they were only briefly appointed as caretakers.
| Manager | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % |
| David Moyes | 51 | 26 | 10 | 15 | 50.98 |
| Louis van Gaal | 103 | 54 | 24 | 25 | 52.43 |
| Jose Mourinho | 144 | 84 | 31 | 29 | 58.33 |
| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | 168 | 92 | 35 | 41 | 54.76 |
| Ralf Rangnick | 29 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 39.93 |
| Erik ten Hag | 128 | 72 | 20 | 36 | 56.25 |
| Ruben Amorim | 63 | 24 | 18 | 21 | 38.10 |