Oliver Glasner expects to make a decision on his Crystal Palace future in the coming weeks after further talks with chairman Steve Parish, as Manchester United monitor his situation. The Austrian's contract expires at the end of the season, and there is a growing feeling this could be his last campaign at Selhurst Park.
The 3-4-2-1 exponent has been linked with the Old Trafford vacancy following the sacking of Ruben Amorim, and was the bookmakers' favourite when asked about it. "I'm not allowed to bet," he said. He also stressed the importance of robust discussion within a club, adding: "If it's just yes men you're not successful."
Glasner previously worked under Ralf Rangnick at Red Bull Salzburg, who persuaded him to move into coaching, and he sounded out the Austria manager before joining Palace. He is expected to seek further advice should an approach from United materialise. Tottenham and Bayern Munich are also believed to be interested, with Bayern having considered him in 2024 before appointing Vincent Kompany.
Palace have twice tried to persuade Glasner to sign a new deal, but he has been reluctant to commit. Siegmund Gruber, chief executive of Lask, where Glasner spent four years, said in May that several big clubs had asked about him. "He is much smarter than a coach who comes in and just does a presentation on how his team will play," Gruber said.
A potential stumbling block for United is whether his counter-pressing approach, so successful at clubs that do not expect to dominate possession, would work at Old Trafford. Palace have averaged 43.1% possession this season, compared with Manchester United's 54%. Glasner's admission that his decision will not depend on the transfer window marks a departure from his earlier criticism of Palace's failure to provide enough reinforcements for their European campaign.
Andreas Heidenreich, sports editor of the Austrian newspaper Kurier, said: "Everyone in Austria is expecting him to leave and they are excited to see him at a really big club. That's the only thing missing in his coaching career." Glasner's recent comments on the importance of open dialogue are likely to have gone down well with United's hierarchy, particularly Jason Wilcox.
