Next Man Utd Manager: Allegri new favourite for cursed Old Trafford job | OneFootball

English Premier League

Old Trafford has seen too many 'new eras' yet still needs another

The Europa League final fall-out is already in full effect at Old Trafford, with an outright assumption made by all that Ruben Amorim is set to leave and imminently. Ste Tudor looks at significant movement in Betfair's next Premier League manager markets that highlights a new strong favourite.

Allegri new favourite for Old Trafford hot-seat

It's been less than 12 hours since Manchester United's seismic loss in Bilbao but already there has been significant movement in the betting odds to determine the Reds' next permanent manager.

Having been priced up at 4/1 as recently as Wednesday morning, Jose Mourinho has now drifted out to 6/1, with many doubting the club's appetite for another tumultuous spell under the Portuguese scowler.

Mauricio Pochettino meanwhile has seen his odds slashed from 12/1 to 7/1 following his former club's Europa League success last night and Oliver Glasner is another to note, priced alongside Mourinho after transforming Crystal Palace's fortunes.

Kieran McKenna remains steady at 9/2

The big news, however, is Massimiliano Allegri being installed as the new strong favourite. Refreshed after a one-year sabbatical, the 57-year-old Italian is in high-demand in Serie A with both Milan giants and Napoli placing his name at the top of their short-lists.

Now it seems a crisis-hit Premier League behemoth is also coveting his pragmatic approach to winning trophies.

'Little Anchovy' a proven winner

Nicknamed the 'Little Anchovy' - it's a long story - Allegri won't be daunted by the intense scrutiny and pressure that comes with the Manchester United job, not after presiding over Juventus for close to a decade across two different spells.

Having guided Milan to a first Scudetto for seven years in 2011, Allegri ushered in an era of complete dominance in Turin, taking Juve to five consecutive Serie A titles.

The Zebras also reached two Champions League finals across a period when seemingly everything the coach touched turned to gold. A return to Turin in 2021 proved to be a more challenging task however, the 'Manchester United of Italy' finishing as low as seventh in 2023.

Allegri was sacked in May 2024, his reputation somewhat tarnished.

All the same, the revered manager remains a proven winner at the very highest level of football.

Amorim set to go

Last night's Europa League Final was a chance of salvation for United, after enduring their worst league campaign for half a century. Should they lose to Aston Villa this weekend it will be the first time they have lost exactly half their league fixtures since 1931.

Now, with the chance of Champions League football next term extinguished - along with the huge cash bonanza that comes with participation in it - Ruben Amorim's future at the club looks bleak to say the least.

"If the board and fans feel that I'm not the right guy, I will go the next day without any conversation about compensation." That's what the Portuguese coach said prior to encountering Tottenham in Spain.Those words are extremely pertinent at this moment in time.