Rodgers rules out Manchester United job

Brendan Rodgers ruled out the possibility of managing Manchester United, suggesting his Liverpool links make such a move unlikely.

Rodgers, who was sacked by Liverpool in October, does not think he would be considered a viable option if under-pressure United coach Louis van Gaal is dismissed, having spent time at the club’s arch-rivals.

The Dutchman has been the subject of increasing scrutiny for a perceived dull brand of football and lack of attacking endeavour, with Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton, in which his side registered just one shot on target, garnering boos from the Old Trafford faithful.

However, Rodgers does not rate his chances of succeeding Van Gaal.

“When you manage Liverpool you know the Manchester United job is gone,” he told talkSPORT.

“I see a lot of the criticism he gets, but there’s no way that Louis van Gaal is sending the players out to have the least amount of shots on target.

“This is a guy who’s been around a long time and he built a team in [19]95 at Ajax that everyone talked about for years. Yes, it was possession-based football, but it was a real attacking blend of football.

“Obviously at Barcelona it was the same. He went on to Bayern Munich and they were a bit more possession-based, but they were still attacking.

“I think it’s a lot about the players as well. You look at Manchester United, do they have the players that can excite like what they had did before? That’s part to do with it as well.

“It is one of those ones where the media have got their teeth into him and it is every day and every week now he gets the criticism.

“But this is a guy who has been at the top of his game for a long, long time. It is difficult for him but he would have known coming to this country what it is like.”