Manchester United icon Garry Neville has picked Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti as his perfect candidate to replace Ruben Amorim. Neville believes Ancelotti would be a great choice because of his astonishing achievements, but added that Thomas Tuchel and Eddie Howe would be the next two choices in his top three.
Tough times for Manchester United
The Red Devils are reportedly in talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick, and Darren Fletches as they look to name a caretaker manager until the end of season. Fletcher is currently in an interim duty with the club, after Amorim's sacking on Monday, January 5.
While Manchester United legend Roy Keane believes Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe should be selected as a permanent replacement over the summer, Neville told The Overlap:
"The outstanding candidate for me would be Carlo Ancelotti, even if it would mean potentially delaying his arrival until late July if Brazil reached the World Cup final."
"No-one comes as close to fulfilling everything laid out above than he does. Ironically the club met with Carlo shortly before his retirement in 2013 and we could have short circuited this entire process and started with him at the beginning of the cycle. But by that stage he was close to agreeing to joining Real Madrid for his first spell in charge and so what might have been a perfect appointment never happened."
He also picked Howe and England manager Thomas Tuchel, saying:
"After Ancelotti, the next two on my short list would be Thomas Tuchel and Eddie Howe, Roy Keane’s suggestion and one of the names suggested by Ashworth in 2024. Again, these are two candidates who know the Premier League inside out and who both have Champions League experience. Howe now has a major trophy as well."
"Obviously Tuchel edges it in terms of experience and the quality of the trophies he has won, with Champions League, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 his biggest achievements. He also reached a Champions League final with PSG. He might have played a back three at times but he is sufficiently adaptable to fit the United DNA and plays with a back four with England."
Carlo Ancelotti's legacy
Carlo Ancelotti has cemented himself as one of the greatest managers of all time, having won the UEFA Champions League a record five times, and is the only manager to reach six finals. He is the only manager to win a league title in Europe's top five goals and could make a positive effect at Manchester United.
Carlo Ancelotti's stint with Real Madrid
After a successful stint with Real Madrid between 2021 and 2025, Ancelotti was named as Brazil's manager in May 2025. The Italian is currently contracted until the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.