Keane and Neville back Simeone as Manchester United boss

Roy Keane and Gary Neville have both identified Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone as their preferred candidate to take charge at Manchester United should the club decide to replace Ruben Amorim, as pressure continues to build on the Portuguese coach amid mixed results this season. The comments came on a podcast this week, as debate over United’s managerial future intensified ahead of a run of important fixtures that includes a trip to Liverpool after the international break.

Amorim remains in post after 11 months at Old Trafford, a period that included a 15th-place Premier League finish last season and a slow start this term. United sit 10th in the table after winning three of their opening seven league matches and have accumulated 37 points from 34 Premier League games since his appointment, statistics that have fuelled public discussion about his future. Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly backed Amorim, saying he wants to give the manager time to prove himself and warning against knee-jerk decisions.

Keane said he would like to see Simeone brought in, praising the Argentine’s personality and track record during a 14-year tenure at Atletico Madrid. He described Simeone...