Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has reportedly been eyed for a coaching role at Manchester United, according to sources at ESPN.
Wolves fans may have been sent into a minor panic last night as ESPN reported that Manchester United are interested in Gary O’Neil’s coaching services.
Having only arrived at Molineux days before the start of the 2023/24 season, the manager has done an outstanding job so far as the Old Gold sit comfortably in the top half of the Premier League table.
With 10 games to go, the Midlands club could still grasp European involvement next term, with seventh place there to play for.
It’s set to be a difficult end to the campaign for Wolves, who have lost key players to injury ahead of reaching the home straight however, if there’s one thing about O’Neil’s side, it’s that they aren’t phased by adversity.
Gary O’Neil has defied the odds at Wolves this season
After seeing how O’Neil kept Bournemouth in the top flight last season, it was perhaps unsurprising to see the Englishman selected as the man to take over from Julen Lopetegui at Molineux.
A task of a potential relegation battle was thought to be on the cards as Lopetegui exited his role due to concerns about squad depth, leaving O’Neil with a monumental task on his hands from the off.
Financial restrictions made the summer of 2023 damning for Wolves, with key players leaving and few arriving however, the manager has failed to let a small squad stop him from impressing.
Manchester United reportedly want Gary O’Neil on board
Sitting just three points away from the European spots, Wolves have defied the odds and the concerns of Lopetegui, as O’Neil continues to relish his role at Molineux.
Yesterday, ESPN reported that as a result of his work in the Midlands, the boss has been eyed by Manchester United over a potential coaching role.
As well as the report, journalist Mark Odgen broke down the news on YouTube to explain the situation surrounding the Red Devils’ supposed interest.
“I’ve been told that Wolves boss Gary O’Neil is in the frame to be spoken to by the club’s new regime about a role at Old Trafford in terms of coaching. We don’t know if it’s a coaching role or if it’s a managerial role.”
“They [Man Utd] want to have the best options available and the situation right now is that football operations want to canvas opinion throughout the game as to who are the best young coaches, who are the best managers, who are the rising stars and O’Neil at 40, he ticks that box.”
“I don’t think he’s going to be the next manager at Old Trafford but certainly in terms of a potential coaching role, United are very interested in speaking to him, whether Wolves are keen to let United speak to him is a different matter.”
With the role being poised away from being the main man, it would be confusing to see O’Neil step away from the project he is building at Wolves for a ‘lesser job’, particularly after expressing his unavailability.
Only time will tell just how interested United are in poaching Wolves ‘remarkable’ boss, as he was lauded by talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, however, the Englishman’s commitment to ending the 2023/24 season on a high at Molineux is unquestionable.