Former Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou has described the managerial position at Manchester United as “the hardest job in world football.”
Postecoglou, who was sacked by Forest in October, discussed the United role while speaking on The Overlap podcast.
Michael Carrick was hired by the club in January, following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim, and has taken United to fourth in the Premier League.
Ange Postecoglou was head coach of Spurs when they beat Man United in the 2025 Europa League Final. Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
“That is the hardest job in world football as far as I’m concerned, because the scrutiny that the club has and the spotlight it’s under consistently,” Postecoglou said.
“It’s going to take a unique individual to be able to overcome all those things or a real discipline to say that we’re going to say we are going to go down this path for a certain number of years.”
Amorim was relieved of his duties in Manchester after 14 months, after they finished a lowly 15th in the Premier League in 2024-25 — and lost in the Europa League final to Postecoglou and his then-side Spurs.
The former Forest boss then alluded to the personality aspect of the job, and said being in charge at United is more than just wins and losses.
“It is unlikely there is going to be a quick fix. It is going to take a person as much a manager who can handle the 100 press conferences every year and winning 10 games and losing one and being torn apart for losing that one,” he said.
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“History being a constant companion to everything you do. It has to be a person who accepts all that and be strong enough as an individual to say I will do it, but I will do it my way.”
United have not confirmed the status of Carrick’s long-term future as of yet, with the Englishman currently on a deal that sees him in charge until the end of the 2025-26 season.
