There are certain footballers you watch and immediately think: “Yep, that bloke is going to be a manager one day.”
You might not know exactly why.
Maybe it is the constant pointing. Maybe it is the shouting. Maybe it is the way they complain to referees as though they are already in charge of 25 players.
Or perhaps they simply have that unmistakable managerial aura.
With the international break giving us far too much time to think about things that probably don’t matter, we decided to look into one of football’s most important questions:
Which current Premier League players will inevitably become managers?
This list is based on absolutely no scientific evidence whatsoever.
Purely vibes.
Arsenal – Mikel Merino
Mikel Merino.
Spanish midfielder.
Called Mikel.
Honestly, what more evidence do you need?
There is something inherently managerial about a midfielder called Mikel. You can already imagine him standing on the touchline in a smart coat, furiously explaining positional rotations to a fourth official.
Merino has also played in Spain, England and Germany, so by the time he eventually retires, he should have enough football knowledge to bore an entire dressing room into submission.
Future manager? Almost certainly.
Aston Villa – John McGinn
John McGinn has been playing at a ridiculously high level for far longer than anyone expected.
And somehow, despite possessing a physique that looks like it was designed in a pub rather than a football laboratory, he keeps getting the job done.
You don’t survive that long at the top without having something going on upstairs.
McGinn also has the perfect manager’s ability to look furious about absolutely everything.
Give him a tracksuit, a clipboard and a technical area and it would feel completely natural.
Bournemouth – Marcus Tavernier
There is just something about Marcus Tavernier that says “clever football man.”
I couldn’t tell you exactly what it is.
Perhaps it is the way he moves.
Perhaps it is the fact that he looks like someone who would spend his evenings watching tactical analysis videos.
Or perhaps it is simply because he has the kind of face that suggests he knows something the rest of us don’t.
I don’t watch him often enough to provide serious evidence.
But that has never stopped anyone making a football prediction before.
Brentford – Callum Wilson
This one is partly tactical and partly practical.
Callum Wilson has spent enough time watching matches from the sidelines through injury that he should already have a decent understanding of the manager’s perspective.
He has also played for several clubs and England, giving him plenty of experience of different dressing rooms.
And when he eventually becomes a manager, he can simply tell his players:
“I know exactly how you feel. Now get back on the pitch.”
Brighton – The Ballboy
Brighton’s entire philosophy makes this one incredibly difficult.
The club keeps producing young players, developing coaches and seemingly finding another clever footballer from somewhere nobody else had noticed.
By the time some of Brighton’s current players retire, they may still be too young to manage.
So we’re going for the ballboy.
He has already spent years watching Brighton’s football from the perfect tactical position.
Give him another decade and he’ll be managing Barcelona.
Chelsea – Jordan Henderson
Come on.
It has to be Jordan Henderson.
The former Liverpool captain has spent years being the organiser, communicator and voice of authority in dressing rooms.
Now at Chelsea, he brings an extraordinary amount of experience to a squad containing many younger players. Chelsea confirmed Henderson as part of their 2026/27 squad, wearing No.14.
And let’s be honest, you can already picture him on the touchline.
“MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!”
The assistant manager will be taking notes.
The fourth official will be checking the time.
Henderson will somehow be coaching three players despite not actually being the manager.
Future coach? The evidence is already there.
Coventry City – Victor Torp
This is not based on anything.
Absolutely nothing.
I simply looked at Coventry’s squad and saw Victor Torp.
Tell me that isn’t the name of a Football Manager wonderkid who becomes a tactical genius at 39.
You can already hear the commentary:
“Torp has completely transformed Coventry with his innovative 3-4-2-1 system.”
Perfect manager name.
Crystal Palace – Jean-Philippe Mateta
This one is purely visual.
Mateta has the sort of presence that makes you think he could become a manager without changing anything about himself.
The bald head.
The long stride.
The slightly intimidating look.
There are shades of Patrick Vieira there.
Perhaps one day Mateta will be standing on the touchline, arms folded, watching his team defend a 1-0 lead while looking like he could still come on and score himself.
Everton – Someone Who Has Survived Everything
This one should have been Seamus Coleman.
Unfortunately, that opportunity has gone.
Coleman had everything you would want in a future manager: experience, leadership, loyalty and the ability to survive practically every footballing situation imaginable.
So Everton’s future managerial candidate remains a mystery.
For now.
Fulham – Calvin Bassey
Teams should be able to count on Calvin Bassey.
Yes, that joke is terrible.
No, I am not apologising.
Bassey has already played in different countries and systems, and his versatility could serve him well if he eventually moves into coaching.
He also has the sort of name that would look good on a tactics board.
BASSEY – defensive transition specialist.
Sounds convincing enough.
Hull City – Oli McBurnie
Oli McBurnie becoming a manager would be tremendous.
Not necessarily because we have evidence that he wants to manage.
But because we desperately want to see him channel his inner Gordon Strachan.
Imagine McBurnie giving a post-match press conference after a 1-0 victory:
“People said we couldn’t defend. Well, we defended.”
That’s it.
Five minutes of questions.
Back to the dressing room.
Ipswich Town – Jaden Philogene
I have no idea.
Absolutely none.
So let’s throw a dart.
Jaden Philogene.
And because we’re making things up anyway, let’s pretend Philogene is short for Philosophy Gene.
A deep thinker.
A football revolutionary.
A man who will one day arrive at a press conference and explain why everyone has misunderstood football for the last 100 years.
Honestly, I’m starting to believe it.
Leeds United – Sean Longstaff
Sean Longstaff has strong efficient-but-not-exciting manager energy.
The kind of manager who wins 1-0 and then spends 20 minutes explaining why the opposition never had a clear chance.
Very Gareth Southgate.
Very Michael Carrick.
Very:
“We were structurally excellent.”
Nobody will remember the match.
Everyone will remember the clean sheet.
Liverpool – Virgil van Dijk
This one feels almost inevitable.
Van Dijk has already taken on plenty of the leadership responsibilities that made Jordan Henderson such an obvious future coach.
He talks.
He organises.
He points.
He corrects.
He occasionally looks at teammates as if they have personally offended him by standing in the wrong position.
And then there’s the obvious Dutch connection.
Dutch footballers and managers have a pretty impressive relationship with tactics.
Van Dijk also has the perfect managerial combination of authority and calmness.
You can already imagine him saying:
“We don’t panic.”
Then organising the entire back four.
Liverpool’s current squad lists Van Dijk as captain and No.4, so the leadership part of the argument is certainly not difficult to make.
Manchester City – Mateo Kovacic
This was supposed to be Rodri.
Then Bernardo Silva.
Then I realised both options felt far too obvious.
So: Mateo Kovacic.
Why?
Because the man has played under some serious managers.
Rafa Benitez.
Zinedine Zidane.
Thomas Tuchel.
Pep Guardiola.
And even Frank Lampard.
That’s either an incredible football education or one enormous source of confusion.
Either way, by the time Kovacic retires, he should have enough managerial experience from other people’s dressing rooms to write a book.
Manchester United – Lisandro Martinez
Imagine Lisandro Martinez as a manager.
Actually, don’t.
Because it is frightening.
You can already picture the team he would build.
Defenders who enjoy defending.
Midfielders who don’t mind getting stuck in.
Attackers with a bit of flair.
And absolutely nobody who is allowed to stroll through a tackle.
He could become Manchester United’s answer to Diego Simeone.
And then there’s Bruno Fernandes.
There is a very real possibility that somewhere around 2037, Manchester United will sack a manager at lunchtime and Bruno Fernandes will be appointed caretaker manager by 3pm.
He’ll win his first two matches.
The fans will demand the permanent job.
He’ll get it.
Four months later, everyone will be arguing again.
Football.
Newcastle United – Fabian Schär
Fabian Schär has the look of someone who could spend the next 20 years managing clubs across Europe.
Switzerland.
Germany.
England.
Then perhaps Italy.
Then somewhere completely unexpected.
He’d become the Swiss Steve Bruce, constantly appearing somewhere new and somehow finding another club that needs an experienced defender turned manager.
A little managerial nomad.
The footballing version of the littlest hobo.
Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood
Chris Wood simply refuses to stop playing football.
At this point, retirement is beginning to look like a suggestion rather than a plan.
So perhaps he’ll just keep going until he’s 45.
Then he’ll become a manager.
Then he’ll still register himself as a player.
Eventually, Nottingham Forest will have a manager who can name himself on the bench.
Why not?
Sunderland – Granit Xhaka
Obviously.
Granit Xhaka is already managing Sunderland on the quiet.
Nobody can convince me otherwise.
The shouting.
The pointing.
The instructions.
The leadership.
The general impression that things will happen exactly as he says they should happen.
When Xhaka eventually becomes a manager, his players will know better than to ignore tactical instructions.
And if they do?
They’ll hear about it.
Tottenham Hotspur – Archie Gray
Does anyone at Tottenham actually take football seriously enough to become a manager?
Fine.
Archie Gray.
The football is practically in his DNA.
His father, Andy Gray, became a coach, while his uncle, Eddie Gray, was both a footballer and manager and remains a Leeds legend.
Archie has therefore grown up surrounded by football knowledge.
If he eventually moves into management, nobody should be surprised.
He’ll probably have a tactics board in the house before he’s 30.
So, Who Have We Missed?
This is obviously not a scientific prediction.
There is no coaching course involved.
No tactical data.
No manager interviews.
Just vibes.
But that’s what makes it interesting.
Some players simply look like future managers.
Jordan Henderson has the leadership background. Van Dijk has the authority. Xhaka has the intensity. Bruno Fernandes has the personality. Lisandro Martinez has the defensive obsession.
And then there is Victor Torp, whose only qualification is having a fantastic manager’s name.
Now it’s your turn.
Which current Premier League player do you think will become a manager when their playing career is over?
And more importantly…
Which player have we completely overlooked?
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