Sir Jim Ratcliffe regrets forcing Amolin to coach Manchester United! Solskjaer declined the role, while Rangnick favors Glatzner.

The Manchester Evening News reports that Sir Jim Ratcliffe regrets making Ruben Amolin start managing Manchester United right away last year. Amolin originally planned to stay at Sporting Lisbon until the season concluded, but Ratcliffe and United’s sporting director Jason Wilcox insisted, "If you don’t come now, you’ll miss your opportunity forever."

Manchester United believed that having Amolin start early would help him adapt to the team faster. During a meeting this season, Ratcliffe even claimed that this season is the "first season" for the 40-year-old Portuguese coach. This is clearly an attempt to ignore the shocking, record-breaking poor performance from last season.

If Amolin had only taken charge this season, the current results might be seen as a period of adjustment. However, considering last season’s 15th place finish and failure to qualify for European competitions, his situation is precarious. If he fails to win against Sunderland, the risk of dismissal will sharply increase, despite Ratcliffe’s repeated assurances that there will be no managerial change this season.

Manchester United has denied that Ratcliffe approached former England manager Gareth Southgate, but the Daily Star reports that the club owner did meet Southgate, who declined the offer. Since stepping down from the England job, Southgate has not returned to football management, focusing instead on lucrative speaking engagements and hosting a football-related TV show.

Another rumored candidate for Manchester United’s managerial position, Fabian Helzeler, has also refused to comment on the speculation. This young German coach impressed during his time at Brighton and has been included on the shortlist of potential replacements for Amolin.

He told Sky Sports UK: "Difficult decisions and rumors are always part of this job, so you have to accept and deal with them. But I really want to say that I have great respect for Amolin, so I won’t discuss his work or any rumors. Regarding this matter, I’m truly honored to be Brighton’s coach, I’m happy here, and we still have plenty of work to do."

Manchester United’s two main favorites to replace Amolin are Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glatzner and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola. Former interim United coach Ralf Rangnick has clearly expressed his support for Glatzner. Currently, Glatzner has led Crystal Palace to an 18-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, making them the only unbeaten team in Europe this season, and has won both the FA Cup and Community Shield.

Rangnick commented: "In my opinion, Glatzner is one of the most exciting coaches right now, not just in Germany but across Europe. He is absolutely a top-tier coach!"

Premier League transfer expert Graeme Bailey revealed that Crystal Palace does not want to lose Glatzner and hopes to renew his contract before the new year. Bailey explained: "Glatzner is open to staying at Crystal Palace, but the club must match his ambitions. However, it will be very difficult for Palace to keep him. A new deal before next year seems unlikely; the club knows Manchester United and other big clubs are interested, which is a major issue. This has always been the case — once a big club comes calling, it’s hard to resist, but Steve Parish (Palace’s owner) hasn’t given up."

Some British media suggest that if Manchester United changes managers mid-season again, they might appoint an interim coach to lead the team until the end of the campaign, with club legend Carrick being a suitable candidate. The former England midfielder could immediately improve several aspects at United: implementing a four-defender formation, emphasizing wingers instead of wing-backs in attack, and speaking less while doing more in press conferences.