Bale backs Ancelotti as "amazing" fit for United job, echoing Neville's earlier endorsement

Gareth Bale has thrown his weight behind Carlo Ancelotti as a potential successor to Michael Carrick at Manchester United, describing the Brazilian coach as an ideal candidate for the Old Trafford hotseat.

The former Real Madrid and Tottenham winger, who worked under Ancelotti in Spain, made the comments on the Stick To Football podcast after Gary Neville had previously outlined his case for the Italian tactician.

Ancelotti, currently in charge of Brazil, has been periodically linked with a move to United as speculation swirls over whether Carrick will be handed the job on a permanent basis. The interim boss's unbeaten run came to an end against Newcastle on Wednesday, intensifying the debate around the club's managerial future.

Neville had previously made his position crystal clear, telling The Overlap that Ancelotti ticked every box required for the role. "You have got to be pretty special to tick all four of those boxes, and as such, the outstanding candidate for me would be Carlo Ancelotti," the pundit said in January. He highlighted Ancelotti's ability to handle the media, his proven track record managing elite talent, his Premier League experience with Chelsea and Everton, and his understanding of United's culture.

Neville also reflected on a missed opportunity from 2013, when United met with Ancelotti before his eventual move to Real Madrid. "Ironically, the club met with Carlo shortly before his retirement in 2013, and we could have short-circuited this entire process and started with him at the beginning of the cycle," Neville explained. "But by that stage, he was close to agreeing to joining Real Madrid for his first spell in charge, and so what might have been a perfect appointment never happened."

Bale's assessment echoed this sentiment. "I think he would do great," the Welshman said. "He's not just the manager, he is a coach as well. He can do the tactical stuff."

The 36-year-old highlighted how Ancelotti's approach differs across his various roles. "When he was the head coach in his second spell at Real Madrid, he did a lot more tactically then than we did the first time, but I think we had a better team the first time," Bale noted.

Bale credited Ancelotti's key strength as his ability to unite squads and extract maximum performance. "Wherever Carlo goes, I think he would do an amazing job, just because he gets everyone on board," he said. "If you go into a big club, you've got good players, whether they're performing at the time or not. Like Man United, they have been the last few weeks, but, prior to that, they hadn't been performing, but they've got good players. He'll get the best out of players and will just simplify things, which you see now with Michael Carrick. He's simplifying a lot of things that the previous manager was doing, and you're getting results. So that's Carlo's genius, getting the best out of the players and just making it simple."

Reports suggest Ancelotti is likely to commit to Brazil with a contract extension running until 2030, potentially complicating any move to Old Trafford. However, Neville's willingness to wait for the right candidate remains evident, having previously stated he would accept a delayed arrival if Brazil reached the World Cup final.