Xabi Alonso's Man Utd Managerial Move: The Inside Story

Xabi Alonso is a potential option for the Manchester United head coach role after being sacked by Real Madrid last week, after just seven months in charge. In the first two weeks of 2026, Manchester United were one of three big European clubs to sack their head coach. The others were Chelsea and Real Madrid. Ruben Amorim was dismissed after 14 months at United, but decisions elsewhere mean that the Portuguese coach joins a big pool of coaching talent who are currently without work. Enzo Maresca is renowned for being a protégé of Pep Guardiola, having previously impressed at Leicester City in the Championship, but Xabi Alonso is another having fallen out with the Real Madrid board and dressing room. Sackings elsewhere also mean that United have more options to pick from if they want to avoid any additional compensation fees. United fans won’t want to see any penny pinching or shortcuts taken by Ineos when appointing a permanent head coach. Especially after so many questionable decisions from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his chiefs since they took control of football operations at Old Trafford. Xabi Alonso to Man Utd dismissed with a possible Bundesliga return on the cards Alonso will be on the lookout for a new project to take on after his time in charge of Real Madrid was cut short. The Spaniard’s Bayer Leverkusen side dominated the Bundesliga in 2022/23, so his reputation remains strong in the European game. More United News However, Alonso has his connections with Liverpool after spending five years of his playing career at Anfield. It remains to be seen if that would stop him from accepting a job at United, unlike Sir Matt Busby. ESPN journalist Mark Ogden has shared what he has been told about Alonso, after checking with his sources if United would consider a swoop for the ex-Liverpool midfielder. “But I just want to kind of drop something that I was told last week,” Ogden said on The Football Reporters podcast. “So when the whole Man United situation was going off and I was speaking to somebody talking about United and just a kind of a cheeky little, ‘why not consider Xabi Alonso?’ “And obviously, I know the answer is that he played for Liverpool etc. But he was like, no, no, no, that’s not going to happen. “He said, and the story that this guy had been told, and he has a bit of insight, was that they said, no, Xabi Alonso will end up at Bayern Munich this summer, and Vincent Kompany will go to Man City because Man City wants Vincent Kompany back and Xabi Alonso is an obvious fit for Bayern Munich. “Because he’s as much of a legend as he is at Liverpool. He’s also a great at Bayern Munich.” So, Ogden is predicting a managerial merry-go-round, which could see Pep Guardiola leave the Etihad Stadium. Thierry Henry advises Man Utd to take Barcelona approach Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry believes United’s board must outline a clear strategy before deciding on their next permanent manager. Michael Carrick was appointed head coach until the end of the season, but the next step will be a huge one for Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada as United chiefs. In Carrick’s first game, United beat Man City 2-0 after goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu. Henry appeared on Monday Night Football when he drew on his time at Barcelona, noting how the La Liga giants had a clear idea of their identity, which made the job of finding managers a lot easier. “The reality is what do they want Man United to be?” Henry said on Sky Sports, as quoted by the Daily Mail. “What do they want, I don’t feel it from the outside. I don’t feel whatever they are looking at. “Bayern went to Vincent Kompany, we talked about Luis Enrique, we talked about Frank Rijkaard. “You can agree of disagree, you can see what type of coaches they want. I don’t know at Man United, I really don’t know what they are about now, what they want to achieve and what is the DNA. “I am talking about now when I watch the games. What Michael Carrick did at the weekend was brilliant, but in two weeks we could be talking about something else. “What do they want, how are they going to go about it? It should be clear in order to get one of the guys we are talking about. “The way they [Barcelona] see it on the other side, if you don’t fit who the house is, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done before. “If you fit what we believe in, you can come. But what are you to make that decision.”