Next Man Utd Manager Odds: Could the Red Devils take a chance on Iraola?

Ruben Amorim has been relieved of his duties as Manchester United head coach, 14 months after replacing Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford hot seat. Here at Betfred Insights, we're assessing the top candidates that lead the betting for the next permanent manager role.

AFC Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola is someone who features quite high on the list of potential candidates based on the betting market, and below I take a look at his chances of becoming the next Manchester United manager.

United are back to square one, again. It's fair to say Amorim's reign did not go the way anyone connected to the club would've hoped but his dismissal wasn't particularly surprising as the football, and the results that went with it, split opinion among the fan base.

There were some claiming it was worse than that of his predecessor and others who acknowledged issues but thought making another managerial chance would be even worse, instead wanting someone to be given a chance to build for the long-term.

Amorim had just two transfer windows to put his own stamp on the squad and it looked as if some of the problems were down to still having a lot of players he inherited.

This is why people make the case for managers adapting to what they have until they are in a position to enforce the style of play they want. Amorim's three-at-the-back system was tough to watch a lot of the time and also offered very little threat in the final third.

His dismissal came following comments after the recent draw with Leeds United, in which he took swipes at figures at the club while also saying he only had another 18 months to go on his contract.

Premier League Odds

Former United player and current Under-18s boss Darren Fletcher has got the gig on an interim basis, with some reports suggesting he will see out the rest of the season in charge, while the club do their due diligence over their next long-term hire ahead of the summer.

One coach who could be in the conversation is Iraola at Bournemouth. The Spanish tactician's stock had been very high after his first two seasons in Dorset. He led the Cherries to a club-record 48 points in the Premier League in 2023/24 as they sat 12th in the table, before surpassing that in 2024/25 with a ninth-place finish and 56 points.

Some United fans may start turning their nose up at him as his previous managerial roles have only been at AEK Larnaca, Mirandes and Rayo Vallecano - and the fact that he is currently on an 11-game winless streak in the Premier League.

It's not the first time he has overseen a lengthy winless run in the top flight, either. When he arrived at the club ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, Bournemouth didn't win any of their first nine games but as mentioned above, he turned it around and led them to a record finish, which he surpassed the following year.

But they have to remember that he utilises an exciting brand of attacking football. Their 31 goals this season is the best attacking record in the bottom half of the division, and it is only three shy of United's total (34).

Next Man Utd Manager Odds

This season's decline looks to be the direct result of Bournemouth losing three key figures from their defence over the summer as Illia Zabarnyi (PSG), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) and Milos Kerkez (Liverpool) all departed the Vitality Stadium.

When you are trying to build something special it is bound to be deflating when you are losing several key players in one transfer window. And Iraola is not going to be helped by the reports that star attacker Antoine Semenyo could be headed for the exit door this month with Manchester City thought to be swooping for the winger.

Should such a move arise, the task of posting further improvement this term becomes that much more difficult. The longer Bournemouth's winless run continues, Iraola is at risk of getting the chop, but he may already be contemplating his future and wondering if he has taken the Cherries as far as he can in the current circumstances.

United fans will no doubt be wanting a new manager who has pedigree. Someone who has secured major trophies in their coaching career, which of course is not something Iraola has on his CV.

But the former defender is considered one of the brightest young managers in Europe and let's not forget that his Bournemouth side finished six places and 14 points above the Red Devils last season.

He's nowhere near the favourite in the betting market to take over from Amorim at 16/1, but United could really do a lot worse, especially when they are crying out for excitement on the pitch.

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