Would anyone be surprised if Man Utd hired Steve Bruce?

Martin Macdonald

• 22 Nov 2021 13:31 GMT
• 4 min read

Manchester United are searching for a new manager following the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Following a horrendous run in the Premier League which includes humbling losses against Liverpool, Manchester City and Watford, the Norwegian was sacked this past Sunday.

The announcement came after a 4-1 defeat against the Hornets on Saturday afternoon.

A statement from the Man Utd website read:

"Ole will always be a legend at Manchester United and it is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision. While the past few weeks have been disappointing, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past three years to rebuild the foundations for long-term success.

"Ole leaves with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts as Manager and our very best wishes for the future. His place in the club’s history will always be secure, not just for his story as a player, but as a great man and a Manager who gave us many great moments. He will forever be welcome back at Old Trafford as part of the Manchester United family.

"Michael Carrick will now take charge of the team for forthcoming games, while the club looks to appoint an interim manager to the end of the season."

The key sentence in that statement comes at the end, as it appears the Red Devils are only looking for a caretaker manager at the moment before assessing their situation again in the summer.

Certainly, a strange decision considering it is only November.

The Man Utd hierarchy, including the Glazers, are not making this decision because they believe the current season cannot be saved.

They are making the decision because there are a lack of viable candidates out there.

Man Utd's blind devotion to Solskjaer, or simply their laziness to try and find a more suitable manager, has seen them miss out on a variety of talented coaches like Mauricio Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel and more recently Antonio Conte.

Zinedine Zidane remains one of the front-runners but the Frenchman is allegedly not interested, while Pochettino will likely be keen to see out the current campaign with Paris Saint-Germain.

Is Steve Bruce a candidate?

Man Utd now need someone to come in and make sure, at the very, very least, they qualify for the Champions League.

More importantly in the minds of the owners, though, they need another yes man, which Solskjaer was.

And, there is no better yes man out there with current links to Man Utd than former Newcastle boss Steve Bruce.

The 60-year-old has emerged as a shock candidate for the role, even if the majority of the reports linking him to the just say he wants the club rather than the club wanting him.

But, the fact that Bruce is even being mentioned, even facetiously, shows how desperately far the club has fallen in recent years.

Never mind the caretaker role, Bruce is now remarkably the SIXTH favourite to take over at Old Trafford, according to OddsChecker. He currently has shorter odds than the likes of Luis Enrique, Joachim Low, Graham Potter and Julen Lopetegui.

It goes to show how poorly the Glazer family and Ed Woodward are thought of that there are still Man Utd fans defending Solskjaer despite him being completely out of his depth.

The fans believe the problems at the club stem from the top and that Solkjaer is simply an effect and not the cause.

Bruce is currently out of work after being sacked by the new Saudi owners of Newcastle.

Even at the club he supported as a kid, he was hated by the majority of the fans.

Can you imagine the vitriol if Man Utd had the gall to appoint him?