Thiago Motta: How close United came to appointing Italian revealed

Manchester United came within touching distance of appointing Thiago Motta as their permanent manager before ultimately selecting Ruben Amorim, it has emerged. Reliable United observer Andy Mitten disclosed on the Talk of the Devils podcast that INEOS held extensive internal discussions about the former Bologna coach, viewing his ultra-attacking 2-7-2 system as the blueprint for a bold new era at Old Trafford.

Motta had captivated Europe by guiding Bologna to Champions League qualification for the first time in 60 years, earning plaudits as the “next big thing in coaching.” United’s hierarchy, according to Mitten, took the 41-year-old “really, really seriously” and placed him at the forefront of an early shortlist that did not even feature Amorim. The Portuguese only entered the frame as an “outside, an outlier,” while Motta’s credentials were being championed behind closed doors.

The secrecy surrounding the process was such that “nobody got any wind of this” at the time. Yet as deliberations intensified, United veered away from Motta and opted for Amorim, allowing Juventus to snap up the Italian. Both decisions have proven regrettable: Juventus dismissed Motta, while United sacked Amorim after a similarly disappointing tenure, leaving Michael Carrick in temporary charge until season’s end.

With Carrick’s hopes of securing the role long-term dented by last weekend’s defeat at Newcastle, and names like Roberto De Zerbi now circulating, INEOS face mounting pressure to correct a sequence of missteps. Mitten’s revelation underscores just how fine the margins were—and how differently United’s managerial carousel might have spun had they pinned their colours to Motta rather than Amorim.