Odds on Man Utd next manager: Maresca, Fletcher or Glasner?

By Deniss Novickis | Published: January 5, 2026

Manchester United have sacked Ruben Amorim this morning, the day after a 1-1 draw with Leeds and his comments about the willingness "to be a manager, not a coach". With the away match against Burnley coming as soon as Wednesday, it has already been announced that Darren Fletcher will take charge of the team there.

However, the former Red Devils player is only second in the list of top contenders for the job, according to the bookies. In this article, we talk about Amorim's possible successors, analyse the next Man Utd manager odds and try to predict who is coming to Old Trafford.

Ruben Amorim's 47 Premier League matches in charge of @manutd ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/D9ttPAVbOz

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 5, 2026

Bookmakers have already released the odds on who'll be the next permanent boss at Old Trafford. Enzo Maresca, who lost his job at Chelsea on January 1, is the favourite for the job at 3.75. He is followed by Darren Fletcher, at 4.50, as the Scotsman will be the interim coach at Burnley this Wednesday. Oliver Glasner is third in the list, sitting at 5.00. 

Other notable names include Gareth Southgate, Xavi Hernandez, Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane, Julian Nagelsmann, and Laurent Blanc, but realistically, it is between the top three to sign a proper contract. The table below lists the odds for the next Manchester United manager.

The Italian lost his job six months after leading Chelsea to the triumph at the FIFA Club World Cup. While the Blues couldn’t win any of their last three games in December, the team was still a step away from the Champions League zone and had a notable 3-0 victory over Barcelona in this competition in November. Maresca was an assistant to Josep Guardiola at Manchester City, and his style of play is very similar to Pep. He loves to control the ball, with defenders and the goalkeeper passing it out from the back. Usually playing a 4-3-3 formation, Maresca loves a heavy counter-pressing when off the ball. His teams are known for strict discipline, exactly what the Red Devils need.

A reminder that Enzo Maresca led Chelsea to become the only team to stop PSG from achieving the sextuple 👀 😅 pic.twitter.com/2StoieFGti

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 2, 2026

The 41-year-old Fletcher played 223 matches for Man Utd, winning the UEFA Champions League and five Premier League titles with the club. In October 2020, he became the coach for the club's under-16 side, before being promoted to the first-team coaching staff in January 2021. Two months later, in March 2021, he was appointed technical director. Three years later, he left that position, with Manchester United confirming that Fletcher would remain an important part of the club's football leadership structure. The biggest concern here is obviously the lack of experience. On the other hand, Fletcher knows the club inside out and can immediately bring some young talent into the senior team.

🚨 Darren #Fletcher will have his two sons in the first-team squad, with Jack #Fletcher having already made several appearances off the bench in recent matches 🔴🔴 pic.twitter.com/TrllEgJw2i

— Football Pulse (@FootballPulse_) January 5, 2026

Oliver Glasner has built an impressive background across Europe. Before arriving in England, he guided Wolfsburg to UEFA Champions League and led Eintracht Frankfurt to UEFA Europa League glory in 2022. He became Crystal Palace manager in February 2024 and has completely reshaped the club's identity. Under his leadership, the Eagles won their first-ever FA Cup last season. Glasner is known for tactical discipline and ability to maximise limited resources, which is what The Red Devils are currently missing. Crystal Palace are without a win in their last seven matches in all competitions, and this might be an ideal time for the Austrian to leave the club. There are very few chances to take control of such a big club, after all.

• European winner.
• Can play multiple formations.
• Beat Pep Guardiola in a final.
• Beat Prem winners Liverpool in a final.
• Won Palace their first ever major trophy. (2).

Oliver Glasner to Manchester United? pic.twitter.com/s5EYFA27IQ

— Maggie (@UtdMaggie) October 2, 2025

Manchester United continue to surprise the football world. When the Erik ten Hag saga was over, the fans were hoping that now was the time to start a new chapter and build from scratch. When Ruben Amorim came in on November 1, 2024, that looked like a long-term project. However, the scenario was pretty much the same.

Once again, the team is without a coach in the middle of the season, left with plenty of players that the former gaffer brought to the club. At this point, we can say that you just can't find any logic in the decisions made by the United board. Therefore, we'll go with Darren Fletcher becoming the new Man Utd manager, despite having no senior experience at all.

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