How Man Utd could line-up under Gareth Southgate
- Southgate has been linked with the Man Utd job
- The manager has had success in charge of England
- Tactics could be familiar to fans of the Three Lions
The INEOS revolution at Manchester United has begun, and there are plenty of rumours swirling about the sweeping changes that could be made by the new co-owners.
A lot of those rumours have centred around the long-term future of manager Erik ten Hag and who could replace him at the helm were he to depart.
The latest name to be linked with the Man Utd has been England manager Gareth Southgate.
So, if Southgate takes charge, what can fans expect from their team?
Here's a potential lineup that the England coach could field in 2024/25...
Formation: 5-2-3
Yep, a five-man defence.
Manchester United might want their team to play expansive, eye-catching, football, but if you've watched England play over the last eight years you'll know that that isn't quite Southgate's bag.
As he did with the Three Lions, if Southgate takes over at Old Trafford his first port of call will be to tighten up a defence which has conceded 56 goals in all competitions already this season - including a whopping 15 in the Champions League group stage alone.
To do that, Southgate would undoubtedly revert to his favoured five-at-the-back formation and make Man Utd a hard-to-beat, very boring, football team.
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Man Utd lineup under Gareth Southgate
GK: Andre Onana - After a difficult start to life at Manchester United, Andre Onana has seemingly found his feet since returning from AFCON duties with Cameroon. Expect the ex-Inter goalkeeper to be the Red Devils' number one for a long time.
RWB: Kieran Trippier - The first new face in this lineup is a pretty familiar one to Southgate. The England international has long been a favourite and, with rumours swirling about Newcastle United's need to sell their captain due to FFP concerns, he could be a cheap option for Man Utd.
CB: Jean-Clair Todibo - From a cheap option to a slightly more expensive one. The INEOS-owned centre-back has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford and would slot perfectly into Southgate's five-man defence, providing some pacy cover for Trippier on the right-hand side.
CB: Harry Maguire - New contract, reinstated as captain, statue outside Old Trafford. If Southgate takes over, Maguire is getting the lot.
CB: Lisandro Martinez - When fit, Martinez is arguably the most important player in Erik ten Hag's current team, and we'd expect the Argentine to hold similar importance to a Southgate side too.
LWB: Luke Shaw - Another player of huge importance when fit, Shaw is one of the best left-backs in the Premier League on his day. He was vital to Southgate's England team in the past, scoring in the Euro 2020 final and everything (a final England famously lost).
CM: Kobbie Mainoo - Southgate has quite the soft spot for Mason Mount, but there's no way that he could drop Mainoo. The youngster has been one of the few bright spots in Man Utd's 2023/24 campaign and looks set to become a genuine superstar in the very near future.
CM: Kalvin Phillips - Stop laughing! With literally any other manager in the world at the helm, Kalvin Phillips to Man Utd would be an utterly proposterous signing to suggest. Under Southgate though, it's not. The England manager is Phillips' biggest fan, and has relentlessly called him up for squads regardless of how much, or little, football he's played at club level.
RW: Bruno Fernandes - With Southgate favouring playing deeper-lying midfielders, Bruno Fernandes could find himself shifted out to the right flank. Such a move won't be the end of the world for the Portugal international, he's impressed when he's occasionally played out wide for United in the past.
ST: Rasmus Hojlund - The Red Devils have been linked with plenty of forwards in recent times, but they'd be remiss not to keep the faith in the young Rasmus Hojlund. When fit, the Danish striker has been fantastic in recent months.
LW: Marcus Rashford - As the sixth most capped player of the Southgate era, it's fair to say that the manager fully trusts Rashford. Only two players (Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane) have scored more goals under Southgate for England, so expect him to be key under him in Manchester too.
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