Gary Neville believes Diego Simeone should be on Manchester United’s managerial wish list but fears the club will not be willing to prise him away from Atletico Madrid.
The Argentine coach oversaw the latest in a long line of defensive masterclasses as Atleti secured a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford – and 2-1 on aggregate – to progress to the quarter-final of the Champions League at United’s expense.
If there were any questions marks over whether interim boss Ralf Rangnick might be considered for the permanent manager’s job they were put to bed on Tuesday night, with the club’s hierarchy keen to have someone new in place before the summer.
Despite Simeone’s outstanding credentials – he guided Atletico to the Liga title last season – he is rarely mentioned as a potential successor to Rangnick, with Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag the two main contenders.
But Neville believes Simeone would be a great option for United and capable of going head-to-head with Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, though he fears the Red Devils’ hierarchy would be put off by the price it would cost to appoint him – and perhaps the brand of football he plays too.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville said: ‘Simeone should be a candidate but it’s never been achievable to get him out of Atletico Madrid.
‘He’s wedded in there, he’s tied, but it would be brilliant to see him in the Premier League, absolutely brilliant.
‘You saw on Tuesday night – I’ve seen it many times, I got beaten 2-0 by him in Valencia by a brilliant Atletico Madrid team that [Antoine] Griezmann was in back then before he went to Barcelona.
‘He’s a fantastic coach, brutal in terms of how he approaches the game – I think in every single way, his teams are tough.
‘Manchester United need a tough manager. Manchester United need a manager who can compete with Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, who are the best. So they need someone who can stand on that touchline and feel equal to them and I think Simeone could.
‘So I wouldn’t rule Simeone out at all, but I think Ten Hag and Pochettino would be the way forward because they [United’s hierarchy] will want a young, progressive coach – I’m not saying Pochettino’s young – but a progressive coach that plays a certain way.
‘And [a coach who] is probably a little bit cheaper and available. I don’t know how much it would cost to try and get Simeone out of Atletico Madrid but Manchester United would have to pay big money.’
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