Dan Brown, the surprise package of this year’s Open, has seemingly got his wish after calling out former England boss Gareth Southgate on Instagram. Earlier this year, Brown finished on level par at Royal Troon and was in contention to lift the Claret Jug until the final day.
Brown emerged as one of the most unlikely contenders in Open history when he made a flying start to lead the field at the end of day one. He finished his opening round on six under par and had a chance of winning until he carded a final round of three over.
The 29-year-old ended up finishing in joint-10th, picking up a £245,000 prize as a welcome reward for his efforts.
Brown is a keen supporter of Manchester United and will be delighted to hear that Southgate is no longer a candidate to step into the Old Trafford dugout. The 54-year-old was linked in the summer and reportedly spoke to club officials at the end of last season.
Southgate was briefly tipped as a potential replacement for Erik ten Hag when the news of his sacking was confirmed earlier this week. However, the Red Devils are now believed to be closing in on the appointment of Sporting boss Ruben Amorim.
Brown made it clear that he did not want Southgate anywhere near the United dugout in a recent Instagram post. Reacting to speculation that he might be considered for the role, Brown wrote on his story: “Please god no,” alongside a crying emoji.
The speed of United’s approach for Amorim suggests that Southgate was not among the genuine contenders to succeed Ten Hag. In any case, he would likely have rejected the role after outlining his plan to take an extended break from football.
Speaking earlier this month, Southgate said: “I won’t coach in the next year, for sure. I’m certain of that. I need to give myself time to make good decisions.
“When you come out of a really big role, you need to give your body time. You need to give your mind time. I’m enjoying my life, so there’s no rush.”
United are now pressing ahead in talks with Amorim after agreeing to pay the £8.3million release clause in his Sporting contract. Negotiations are believed to be ongoing, with the 39-year-old potentially in line to manage his first game against Chelsea on the weekend.
