Sam Allardyce has drawn a comparison between the standing of a world-class manager linked with Manchester United and the achievements of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
The Red Devils are without a permanent head coach after the Ineos regime made the call to offload Ruben Amorim from the Premier League club earlier this month.
Ineos have since named Michael Carrick as interim head coach, a role he is expected to hold until the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
The 40-year-old Portuguese tactician is now the seventh permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement to be dismissed by Manchester United, highlighting their ongoing search for stability in leadership.
Names like Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Carlo Ancelotti have all been mentioned in connection with taking over permanently at Old Trafford next summer.
Sam Allardyce draws comparison between Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola amid Man Utd links
One name that has got Manchester United fans talking is Ancelotti. The Italian manager has an impressive track record, and his reputation speaks for itself.
He left Real Madrid at the end of the 2024-25 season to take charge of Brazil, and he’s already led them to World Cup qualification.
Speaking on his podcast No Tippy Tappy Football, ‘Big Sam’ said he considers Ancelotti the “most successful manager in the world” right now, even ahead of Pep Guardiola.
“And that’s the difference [managing rather than coaching] between Carlo Ancelotti [and the rest],” Allardyce explained.
“Carlo Ancelotti manages them. He doesn’t go around telling them how to play. He does, in the right way.
“But he manages, he manages their ego. If you’re stopping a training session against him, like the minute saying, well, you have to be certain about what you’re doing, because they’re going, why are you telling me about this?
“Like, I’m whoever I am, because they’re the big stars. So, anybody I’ve talked to, he’s probably more successful than Pep.
“Probably the most successful manager in the world at the minute, Carlo Ancelotti.”
Why Sam Allardyce thinks Carlo Ancelotti is different from other managers amid Manchester United links
Ancelotti has been linked with the job, but with the 2026 World Cup in North America on the horizon, it is hard to see him leaving Brazil any time soon.
Allardyce sees the Italian legend as a true manager, in contrast to a growing trend of young coaches who are more focused on training methods than team leadership.
“And he does, on the basis of man management, and less coaching, where we’re all obsessed with coaching and less management,” the Briton stated.
“And if you go into a football club, you’ve got to assess what the size of the football club is, and what and who you’re dealing with.
“And so, whatever your ideas were at the previous club are fine, but you have to modify those ideas to suit to make that club successful.”
Ancelotti signed an agreement with Brazil set to last through this summer’s FIFA tournament.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
