Time for Man Utd to get an ‘experienced’ coach, says former winger Sharpe

Former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe believes the club should “go down a more experienced route” when hiring a new head coach.

Ruben Amorim was sacked by United on Monday after a turbulent few weeks, which included a tense post-match news conference after their draw with Leeds United that saw him criticise the club’s hierarchy.

The Portuguese coach won just 24 of his 63 games at the helm (D18 L21), while he also oversaw the Red Devils’ Europa League final defeat to Tottenham last season.

Meanwhile, in the Premier League, Amorim had the worst win ratio (32%), the worst goals conceded per game ratio (1.53) and the lowest clean sheet ratio (15%) of any United boss.

Darren Fletcher will take charge of United's Premier League fixture against Burnley on Wednesday, while they are reportedly seeking a caretaker manager before hiring someone permanently in the summer.

Oliver Glasner and Gareth Southgate have emerged as early frontrunners for the role, while Xavi and former Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca have also been linked with the job at Old Trafford.

Sharpe, who made 116 of his 175 Premier League appearances for United, believes United must take a different approach to hiring a new head coach after the dismissals of Amorim and Erik ten Hag.

“I would say yes, but they've had that before in the last 10 years,” Sharpe told Stats Perform.

“You know, we've had Jose Mourinho, Van Gaal. We've had experienced managers come in and they've not done the job either way.

“That's because they weren't given time. Maybe they were clashing with the board again and didn't get the resources and players they wanted.

“It seems to be a bit of a running theme at Old Trafford these days. So it really, really depends.

“I mean, I think a younger manager sometimes with a younger squad can work pretty well. If you have a team full of internationally experienced players, sometimes you need a bigger, wiser, more experienced manager to manage those people, players.

“So I would say after going with Ten Hag and we're going with Amorim, who was sort of more potential and more young hot prospects, I think maybe it could be the time to go down a more experienced route.”