Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe rules himself out of Manchester United job
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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been touted as a possible permanent replacement for Ruben Amorim, who was sacked on Jan 5.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Eddie Howe said on Jan 6 that he is “100 per cent” committed to Newcastle United as he dismissed speculation linking him with the vacant Manchester United manager’s job.
Ruben Amorim was sacked on Jan 5
Englishman Howe has been touted as a possible permanent replacement for the Portuguese boss.
He was also linked to the Chelsea job after the Jan 1 departure of Enzo Maresca, who has since been replaced by Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior
The 48-year-old Howe was asked by reporters on Jan 6 whether anything could tempt him away from St James’ Park.
“No, not at this current time,” he said on the eve of his team’s home match against Leeds, which took place after press time.
“The most important thing for me is happiness in the role, happiness in the job, the relationships I have with the people around me. Now, that’s not always been consistently good and things can change at any football club.
“But, at the moment, I am very happy.”
Howe is in his fifth season at St James’ Park and in 2025 led Newcastle to the League Cup title, their first major trophy in 56 years.
“I’m 100 per cent here, working as hard as I can, head down, ignoring all the stuff that you guys (the press) write, good or bad, because it’s irrelevant,” said Howe.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner also on Jan 6 batted away questions over the managerial vacancy at United, saying cryptically he is “not allowed to bet”.
The Austrian is among the bookmakers’ favourites for the job.
Glasner, 51, has impressed since arriving at Palace in 2024, leading them to their first major trophy by winning the FA Cup in 2025
The Palace boss, who is out of contract at the end of the season, said in December that talks over a potential new deal at Selhurst Park were on hold.
Speaking on the eve of his side’s home game against high-flying Aston Villa, which took place after press time, he was evasive when asked about the United job.
“I’m not allowed to bet,” he said. “My contract has one paragraph (that says) I’m not allowed to bet. I don’t look at it.”
Glasner was asked whether it would be wise to back him to be United’s next manager.
“I also can’t give insider information because also I would be breaking my contract,” he said with a smile. “I’m Crystal Palace manager. It just makes no sense and it’s wasted time for you to ask me any more questions, so I don’t talk about any other club.”
Glasner said the length of managers’ contracts had limited meaning.
“You can win trophies and six months later you aren’t the manager there any more, so I think if you see the length of a contract it doesn’t mean anything about the future,” he said.
“Even if I sign a new contract, you could ask me every day, ‘What’s the future?’
“Ruben Amorim said he had 18 months left in his press conference and he’s not the manager any more.
“There’s one situation that keeps you in your job when you’re a manager – this is being successful.”
Over in Manchester, Darren Fletcher said he had reached out to former United manager Alex Ferguson to seek his blessing before taking on the interim role.
Fletcher, 41, will take charge of the Jan 7 Premier League trip to Burnley, which took place after press time, and may also stay on for the Jan 11 FA Cup third-round home fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion.
“I don’t like to make any major decisions without speaking to Sir Alex,” Fletcher told reporters.
“I’ve got a really good relationship with Sir Alex, so I wanted to speak to him first and ultimately to get his blessing, to be perfectly honest with you. I think he deserves that respect. I wanted to run it by him and he echoed my thoughts.”
Former United midfielder Fletcher made 342 appearances in all competitions with the club, the majority of them under Ferguson. He was also recently coach of the Under-18 squad.
“When you’re an employee of the club, it’s your job to do your best for Manchester United,” he said. “It is something I try and live and believe every day, so it was comforting for me for him to say that.”
Fletcher is the 11th United manager – either interim or permanent – since Ferguson, the club’s most successful with 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies, retired in 2013.
AFP, REUTERS
