Manchester United‘s latest search for a new manager after Ruben Amorim’s sacking has revived the time-honoured call for his successor to fit the club’s “DNA”.
This mysterious commodity is the comfort blanket in times of turmoil – usually harking back to glory days and happier times.
After Amorim’s departure, former United defender Gary Neville believes the Red Devils are at the point they need a manager “who fits the DNA of the football club”.
It is not solely a United issue, though, with former Liverpool striker John Aldridge reacting to the 0-0 draw against Leeds United by posting on X: “It seems we’ve lost our DNA. No real drive, desire and lack of ideas.”
When trouble strikes, the “DNA” call demands a return to what a club knows best, what it stands for, what brought its biggest successes.
That may explain why United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his cohorts are looking at figures with rich Old Trafford history as they seek an interim manager.
Darren Fletcher took charge at Burnley on Wednesday, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – sacked from the post in 2021 – and Michael Carrick are also in the frame.
Fletcher and Carrick won 10 Premier League titles between them. Solskjaer won six, and also scored one of the most famous goals in United’s history to win the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona.
Fletcher even felt the need to seek Sir Alex Ferguson’s “blessing” to take temporary charge, such is the 84-year-old’s lingering influence.
Ferguson, as a reminder, won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, and two domestic league and FA Cup Doubles.
But does his “blessing” still need to be sought 13 years after his retirement? Will doing so really revive United’s pursuit of that lost “DNA”?
Former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel told Radio 5 Live: “The thing about Manchester United is that it’s not just any club. They have been through [Jose] Mourinho, [Louis] Van Gaal… big-name managers and it’s not worked.
“They come in, they know it is a short period of time, and they bring in their own systems, which don’t work unless you play the Manchester United way.
“The club should think very, very long and hard about who fits the bill. We’ve heard names like [Thomas] Tuchel, [Julian] Nagelsmann, Xavi, [Zinedine] Zidane – all big names, but do they understand Manchester United?”
So does a club “DNA” actually exist, or is the notion irrelevant? Does it matter that a manager must “get” a club through past association?
