“True To His Word”- Ex-England Assistant Reveals Why Southgate Was Never Going To Replace Ten Hag At United

Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Gareth Southgate would have turned down the chance to succeed Erik ten Hag at Manchester United if he had been approached.

Southgate revealed earlier this month that he was taking a 12-month sabbatical away from coaching and Hasselbaink (who was one of his assistants), told Lucky Block that he is a man “true to his word”:

“There have been a lot of reports and rumours about Gareth’s next move after England, but he doesn’t talk to me about it when I see him or speak to him. He’s very reserved in that respect.”


“When you come out of a demanding job like the England one, a job that he gave all of himself to for eight years, where there is immense pressure to succeed and it’s so demanding, you need to take some time for yourself and that is what he is doing at the moment.”

“If United came knocking in the next few weeks, I think Gareth would say ‘call me in the summer’ because he is man that is true to his word. I also think that whatever job he takes next, he will want to give it his absolute best and he wants to give that club the best version of Gareth Southgate. For him to do that, he needs to have this period to recharge. You have to respect that.”

United have already made up their mind on who they want to replace ten Hag

With Southgate out of the picture, the Red Devils quickly made their move for Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim.

It was confirmed on Tuesday night that a €10m (£8.35m) release clause was triggered in the 39-year-old’s contract but negotiations are still taking place about when he will take charge.

There is reportedly a 30-day notice period that the Amorim will have to serve but United want him to be in the dugout when they face Hasselbaink’s former team Chelsea this weekend.

Southgate will remain on United’s radar

It should be pointed out that the former England head coach has a very close relationship with sporting director Dan Ashworth. The pair worked together for several years at the FA.

While Southgate may not be in the running for the United job now, his name may still come up again in the future.

Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here

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David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.