July 16th 2024.
In 2022, Steve McClaren, a renowned coach, joined Erik ten Hag's backroom staff at Manchester United. However, there are reports that he may leave Old Trafford to take on a new role as the manager of a surprise national team.
Currently, McClaren holds the position of senior first-team coach at United, having returned to the club in 2022 as part of ten Hag's backroom staff. But with the recent arrival of new coaches, including former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy as assistant manager, McClaren's future at the club has been called into question.
According to multiple sources, including talkSPORT, McClaren has emerged as a top contender for the position of manager for the Nigerian national team. The Nigeria Football Federation has even spoken to him about the role, but he is just one of several names being considered. The NFF is looking to have someone in place before the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations begin in September.
Despite McClaren's extensive career, which includes managing the England national team, his lack of experience in African football may work against him in this opportunity. He has not held a managerial position since his time at QPR ended in 2019.
Although McClaren achieved success with Middlesbrough in the early 2000s, winning the League Cup and reaching a UEFA Cup final, his career has not been as impressive since leaving the club. He infamously failed to qualify the England team for Euro 2008 and has only had one Premier League job since, which ended in relegation for Newcastle United after just nine months. He has also had spells at Twente, Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, and Derby County.
Currently, McClaren's focus is on preparing Manchester United for the upcoming season. Their next pre-season match is against Rangers on Saturday, and they will kick off the 2024/25 season against rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield in August.
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