Wales’ big son Gareth Bale has recommended the “brilliant manager” Carlo Ancelotti for Manchester United, while the club prepares to find a permanent replacement for Ruben Amorim.
United sacked Amorim in early January after a disappointing 14-month spell at Old Trafford.
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Michael Carrick was quickly hired as interim manager for the rest of the season, and he has made a brilliant start with his first seven games unbeaten. – Wednesday’s 2 – 1 defeat away at St. James’ Park against Newcastle was his first.
Carrick’s return to his former club was only meant to be temporary, but United’s impressive form has led to calls for him to be given the job on a permanent basis.
England boss Thomas Tuchel was among the favourites to take over when Amorim was sacked, but the former Chelsea manager has since signed a contract extension with the Three Lions.
Another manager preparing for this summer’s World Cup, Ancelotti, has also been linked with the Red Devils, and Bale believes his former Real Madrid boss would do “well” at Old Trafford.
Ancelotti, 66, is considered one of the greatest managers of all time, with five Champions League titles and league championships in Spain, England, Italy, France and Germany.
“I think he would do great,” Bale said on The Overlap when asked about Ancelotti’s qualifications as Manchester United manager. “He’s not just a manager, he’s also a coach.
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But he knows the tactical stuff too. In his second term as head coach at Real Madrid, he worked a lot more tactically than we did the first time, but I think we had a better team the first time.
Wherever Carlo goes, I think he would do a fantastic job, simply because he gets everyone on board.
When you come to a big club, you have good players, whether they perform there and then or not.
Just like Manchester United in recent weeks. Before that, they didn’t perform, but they have good players.
He wants to get the best out of the players and simplify things, just like we see with Michael Carrick now.
He simplifies a lot of what the previous manager was doing, and you get results. So that’s Carlo’s genius – getting the best out of the players and just keeping things simple.”
Bale is not the first footballer to become an expert to recommend Ancelotti for the United job. Recently, Paul Scholes claimed that the Italian would be “perfect” for the role.
“Michael is doing great, it’s an incredible change,” Scholes said on the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Football.
“If you put yourself in the owner’s or decision-maker’s shoes, he really puts pressure on them to get the job.
Those who are going to make that decision may have to think a little differently, because I don’t think you need the most technical or tactical coach.
You are in a big club with good players who know their stuff. Maybe they need a good public therapist more than anything else.
If you look back at Sir Alex, he was never really a great tactician, but he knew his players. He knew what they needed and how to treat them to get the best out of them.
If you look at Real Madrid with Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane, I don’t think they’re the most tactical coaches, but they’re good at dealing with people.
Ruben Amorim seemed obsessed with tactics, and it didn’t work. Xabi Alonso seemed the same at Real Madrid. Do big clubs need such coaches, or do they need a more popular manager?
I don’t know what Michael’s coaching style is like, but I can imagine that he as a person is very good with people and players.
The question with Michael is: does he have the experience? I know he has been manager in the Championship, but this is obviously something completely different.
Can we imagine Carrick winning the Premier League for United? We don’t know yet.
The perfect candidate out there… Ancelotti is still available, I know he’s with Brazil, but he’d be perfect for Manchester United. He would make players feel like a million dollars, and he has experience winning trophies.
The only question is whether he is too old? That’s the only thing. Is there anyone else of that type with a little more experience?
The way you evaluate a Manchester United manager is to look ahead and think: Can United win the league with this manager? It’s not about finishing in the top four. You need a manager who you believe can win the Premier League for you.
The great thing about someone like Ancelotti is experience – I know it sounds obvious – but we don’t yet know how Michael Carrick will deal with some adversity.”
Carrick lost his first game as Manchester United manager on Wednesday night, as the Red Devils lost 2-1 to ten-man Newcastle United.
The team still remains in the Champions League places despite the setback, returning to Premier League play on March 15 against top-four rivals Aston Villa.
