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Michael Owen Weighs In on Manchester United’s Next Manager Odds — and What Fans Really Want

Manchester United is changing managers more quickly than the bookmakers can figure out the next one's odds. Now that Ruben Amorim has taken his (estimated) £12 million payout and skipped off to a beach someplace, we wonder if anyone can turn this sinking ship around and bring the club back to its previous glory.

Pundits like Paul Scholes and Gary Neville (100/1 for the position with Bet365) would tell you sincerely that any applicant must possess something known as "United DNA." But is anyone still aware of what that is after the club has been in the wilderness for 13 years? Does anyone recall? And would anyone genuinely desire a position that is perhaps football's most poisoned chalice?

We asked someone who undoubtedly had "United DNA," coupled with a good dose of Newcastle United, Real Madrid, and Liverpool. Michael Owen, DNA, too. Who better to assist us go through the odds on the next United manager than the former England player and Ballon d'Or winner, who recently agreed to serve as Casino.org's exclusive UK & Ireland Affiliate Ambassador for 2026?

"You Desire Everything"

Owen is well-versed in what it takes to restore glory to Old Trafford, having played for the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson from 2009 to 2012 and helping the team win the Premier League in 2010–11.

“Listen, you want a bit of everything, don’t you?” he tells us. “You want experience. You want somebody that understands the club. You want attacking football. You want aggressive football. You want so many things. But in reality, is there a manager out there that holds all those aces that can offer all those things?”

Let's investigate.

Local Boy or European Tactico?

Oliver Glasner (5/2), Andoni Iraola (14/1), Luis Enrique (10/1), and even a post-World Cup Thomas Tuchel (7/1) have all been mentioned as potential candidates to take over by the beginning of the upcoming season. However, the club's attempt with Erik ten Hag and Amorim was unsuccessful. Owen senses that many on the board and in the fan base are looking closer to home.

“If you want the new foreign sexy football tactical master who’s got a little bit of a twang on his accent – everybody is excited. And then reality is you get bored of that after a little bit and you think, ‘You know what? Let’s go back to a Roy Keane, a Paul Scholes or Gary Neville, Nicky Butt – that generation of players.’

“So, I think lots of people are feeling that way at the moment – emotionally, are feeling that way. Let’s go back to that type of manager.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, currently 5/4, is the current favorite to take over at United because it's normal for a team going through an identity crisis to draw inspiration from the past.

Pure United, Solskjæ

As we have shown, Solskjý's DNA is essentially 100% United, which is significant. When he scored the thrilling injury-time goal against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League Final, the 1990s super-sub became a club folk hero.

Perhaps the most successful managerial tenure in the post-Ferguson era was his previous one, which ran from 2018 to 2021. He led the squad to second place in the Premier League and a Europa League final in 2021, but he was fired later that year.

Solskjaer, who was recently let go by Turkish team Besiktas for not making it to Europe, has stated that he is prepared and willing to return to United and is allegedly in negotiations with the team this weekend.

The Dark Horse

It's interesting to note that Michael Carrick (7/1), a former United player who has since accomplished great things at Middlesbrough, temporarily served as caretaker manager after Solskjý was sacked by United in 2021. However, he was fired by the club in June of last year.

Carrick was United's manager for just three games in 2021, but Owen believes he might be a dark horse for the position.

“I think I particularly like the Michael Carrick option,” he says. “He’s obviously had a little taster of it before. He’s got his experience at Middlesbrough, did a fine job. I can see that one. I was working with him on the television not so long ago, and he didn’t sound to me like he’s pining to get back in, but if the right thing came up, then I’m sure he would look at it.”

Is Southgate Going to Help United?

Gareth Southgate, who led England to two European Championship finals and one World Cup semifinal, is a name that has come up frequently, even before Amorim was appointed. Although Southgate has demonstrated his ability to inspire players, there are concerns regarding his tactical acumen, club management record, which is patchy at best, and style of play, which has never been refined.

“I think that Gareth Southgate … would not be a popular appointment with the fans and that has to be taken into consideration,” muses Owen. “And I think that’s the big negative with Southgate. I don’t think he will appeal … Manchester United demand a certain style of play. I think there’s a lot of skepticism about that appointment.

“However, on the flip side, he is a very smart guy. He could be the absolute type of person that could run a club of that size, get them right back on the straight and narrow, and work with the hierarchy exceptionally well.”

Southgate is a 12/1 shot with Bet365.