There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Gareth Southgate’s future this week and Harry Maguire has now had his say.
Manchester United’s dreary campaign has the potential to end on a positive note as they now have a strong chance of making it to the FA Cup final.
United knocked out Liverpool in a remarkable match 4-3 on Sunday and now face Championship side Coventry City in the semi-final for the right to take on either Manchester City or Chelsea.
While unlikely, United aren’t completely out of the race to secure Champions League football yet, either, especially if the Premier League is given an extra place.
But would it be enough to save Erik ten Hag’s job?
Now Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group have taken over football operations from the Glazers, big changes are being made throughout Old Trafford.
New appointments are being made in key positions with Omar Berrada hired as CEO and Dan Ashworth being pursued as sporting director.
If he joins, Ashworth may seek to make his own managerial appointment which has led to strong links with Gareth Southgate this week.
The pair worked together for three years at England and Roy Keane could see the move happening.
READ MORE: Who is Dan Ashworth? Meet the man who could be set to transform Manchester United
Harry Maguire comments on Gareth Southgate’s future
Southgate has been England boss since 2016 and there is a strong suggestion he could leave his post after this summer’s European Championship.
The Three Lions manager’s contract expires in December and, though the FA are keen for him to stay, he is yet to decide on his future.
However, Harry Maguire has made it clear how he and the whole England squad feel.
When asked by The Times whether the players want Southgate to stay in charge, he replied: “Yes, definitely.
“What he’s done from when he first took over this job to where we are at now, we’ve taken huge strides and he’s a massive part of that,”
Would Gareth Southgate be a good fit for United?
Despite Southgate’s excellent time in charge of England, in which he has proven every single doubter wrong, it’s still difficult to see him being United manager as a good idea.
Southgate has enjoyed no success in managing at club level and hasn’t done so for 15 years, with his only job being at Middlesbrough between 2006-09.
Southgate has been a fantastic England manager, the best since 1966, but his rudimentary tactics and cautious approach have cost the team in the biggest moments.
He has excelled in international football where man-management is crucial and there is less importance on tactical complexity. But at United, those weaknesses would likely be laid bare.