Dwight Yorke opens up about struggle to break into management – Man United News And Transfer News

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In a recent interview, former United striker, Dwight Yorke, has revealed his struggles with breaking into management.

The Trinidadian coach is currently without a managerial job and was last employed by Australian side, Macarthur FC. Yorke left the position in January 2023.

The Mirror has claimed that the former forward has revealed the problems he has faced in management.

Yorke stated that he “applied for the manager’s job at former club Sunderland in 2022 but received no response”. The ex-Sunderland player briefly worked as an assistant to Ricky Sbragia at the Black Cats following Roy Keane’s departure way back in 2008.

The treble winner revealed that his old side did not even consider him as a potential replacement, and the snub felt “a bit of a slap in the face”.

The former Aston Villa forward went on to explain, “I have tried applying for the Sunderland job before and I’d love to have that opportunity, but I’m not sure if they’d give me a chance”.

Yorke did speak of his admiration for the club but also of his disappointment at not even being responded to. He stated, “I’m not saying I don’t want to go for it as it’s a great club, but it seems the same faces are linked with the job. It can make you a bit despondent, but if they were to ask me to put a CV in, it could be worth a chance”.

The former Blackburn player went on to critique a new management culture that has sprung up in that there is “no more learning on the job” and you need a wealth of experience to even be considered.

There may be a suggestion of prejudice in Yorke’s experience. The Standard reported in April of this year, after the sackings of Patrick Vieira and Paul Ince, only four black managers were working in the 92 professional clubs in England.

The outlet went to assert, “a report commissioned by the Black Footballers Partnership (BFP), released last month, found that just 4.4 per cent of management positions in English football were held by black employees”.

Yorke was quick to highlight that his own experience of a player demonstrates that unfancied people can succeed in the world of football, if only given a shot. The former attacker was referencing himself growing up in the Caribbean and making it all the way to Manchester United.

The former player also complained about not knowing some of the managers in the Championship and League One and mused how this was even possible. He stated, “I have a good playing background, and a decent background in management, and I can’t get in. Yet the other guys are getting jobs ahead of me, and I’m scratching my head wondering how that’s possible”.

While admitting that football clubs don’t “owe anyone a favour”, he feels they could do a better job of monitoring managers and taking a chance on them. The former United number 19 argued that it works this way for players, but strangely not for coaches.

The Trinidadian finished by claiming, “it’s one thing if you’re given a chance and you’re not up to the job, but we’re seeing the same managers being given chance after chance, and it makes you wonder where the fairness is”.

It is sad to hear that a significant number of managers feel it is impossible to break into the elite world of professional football management. Hopefully, the United legend will get a chance to show the footballing world whether he does or doesn’t have the ability.