Man Utd put Southgate on three-man shortlist to replace under-fire Amorim

United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been in direct contact with Southgate in recent weeks.

The former England coach was considered when United hired under-pressure Amorim last year, but didn’t want to return to club management at the time.

The United hierarchy are reluctant to axe Amorim despite a dismal run of only 33 points from his 34 Premier League games in charge. If they do pull the trigger, they are likely to wait until after Saturday, November 1, to reduce the level of compensation.

Although Amorim has said publicly he would walk away without a payoff, it’s believed sacking him now would cost Manchester United around £12m.Other potential replacements include Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola.

Amorim's wait to secure back-to-back wins at Man United is showing no signs of stopping soon after a 3-1 defeat to Brentford.The Red Devils came into Saturday's game following a win over ten-man Chelsea, but they've come crashing back down to earth again.Igor Thiago scored twice before Benjamin Sesko halved the deficit, with captain Bruno Fernandes missing a penalty to level things up.MathiasJensen added a third for Brentford in added time, with United's latest defeat dropping the club down to 13th in the table.