Gary O’Neil has played down reports suggesting he could become part of the coaching set-up at Manchester United, but he described the Reds as ‘special’ and said it was ‘an honour’ to be linked.. Reports earlier this week suggested O’Neil could be of interest to United, although it was not made clear whether the reported links were in relation to the manager’s job. No decision on Erik ten Hag’s future has been made and United are planning for the future as normal, though a managerial change at the end of the season is possible.. United have regressed and the first half of the campaign was disappointing, but they could still qualify for the Champions League and win the FA Cup. Omar Berrada will begin work as United’s CEO in the summer and will be responsible for deciding Ten Hag’s future.. ALSO READ: Everything Erik ten Hag said in his press conference. ALSO READ: United promote three youngsters to first-team training. However, the list of potential candidates who could replace Ten Hag has not excited fans and Wolves boss O’Neil, along with Gareth Southgate, have recently been linked.. Speaking ahead of the weekend, O’Neil was asked about links to United and said: “No, no truth [to the report], I don’t know where it came from. Obviously I’ve heard about it, but I think firstly, growing up Liverpool and Manchester United always felt special.. “They’re real special clubs, so it’s an honour to be linked, even though there is no truth in it, but as you can imagine, all my focus is on Wolves.. “We have 12 fit senior outfield players and we’re about to go into a three-game Premier League week, so I’m sure all of you guys know me well enough to know my focus is on that and how we try help the group get through we a difficult week, but a week we’re looking forward to.. “Of course, when your name is mentioned with one of the biggest clubs in world football it’s always an honour, but as I’ve said, I love it here, I’m a head coach and I’ll always be a head coach. I’ve really enjoyed my time at Wolves.”. When asked to clarify whether he’d been contacted by United, as the report suggested, O’Neil said: “No, nothing at all, literally no idea where it came from, so no, I was only made aware of it by our media team to prepare me to answer your questions, so I wasn’t aware of it at all.”. O’Neil had a modest playing career, predominantly playing in the Championship, and he took his first job in management with Bournemouth in August 2022.. His dismissal from Bournemouth last summer after steering them to safety was widely considered unfair and O’Neil has further enhanced his reputation with Wolves.
