04 December 2023 , 09:13
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Richard Keys' suggestion of former Liverpool star Xabi Alonso for the next Manchester United manager didn't get the reception he might have hoped for from his beIN Sports panellists.
Alonso has been flying this season with Bayer Leverkusen. Having lifted the German side out of relegation trouble and towards European qualification last season, the ex-Spain midfielder has enjoyed a 13-game unbeaten start which sees his team top of the Bundesliga.
In contrast, Manchester United have gone backwards in Erik ten Hag's second season at the helm. Defeat against Newcastle on Saturday night left Ten Hag under increasing pressure, with his team seventh in the Premier League and up against it in terms of escaping what looked like a presentable Champions League group, prompting Keys to bang the drum for Alonso.
"United are no longer in the position where if top players become available they're going to sign for United - they're just not," Keys said. "They can't go out and do what they once did which is sign everyone else's best player just because it weakened the opposition and they could maybe put them in amongst a squad of 22 for a while and hope perhaps they had something to contribute.
"In my view, Manchester United should go now to Leverkusen and should say to Xabi Alonso: 'we want you to come to Old Trafford, we will give you Saudi league money, and we will guarantee you five years' - which Fergie had when he first went to Manchester United. Whatever else happens, you've got five years to sort this out for us.
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"He, for me, is the individual, the coach, the person that just might be able to get something going," Keys added. However, pundit and former Jason McAteer was having none of it, muttering "no chance" as Keys made his argument and insisting "he won't go there".
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Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen sit top of the Bundesliga (Action Press/REX/Shutterstock)When asked why, McAteer was clear in his assessment. "I think he'd have aspirations of Real Madrid, Liverpool," he said. "I think Manchester United right now is not a job for him.
"He doesn't need that stress. I think he'd rather the Chelsea job than Manchester United - I think that would be more suitable for Xabi Alonso. Honestly, Manchester United is a mess from top to bottom. Not a chance [he takes it]."
The debate over Alonso came on a weekend where his Leverkusen side dropped points in the league for just the second time this season, drawing 1-1 at home to Borussia Dortmund. They remain top of the pile, though, after rivals Bayern Munich saw their meeting with Union Berlin postponed after heavy snow in Bavaria.