With Cambridge United sat rock-bottom of the League One table, the U's hierarchy felt that it was time for a much-needed change at the club's helm.
Former Swansea City manager and player Gary Monk had been in charge of the club for almost a year, joining in March 2024. However, he has enjoyed little to no success in that time, overseeing just nine victories from 49 matches in charge, an abysmal record that gave him an average of 0.8 points per game.
Cambridge sit eight points adrift of 20th-place Peterborough, who occupy the final spot outside the drop zone, meaning it may already be too little too late for the club to survive relegation, as they only have 15 matches remaining.
Their struggles have been prominent in all areas this season, scoring just 30 goals in 31 games, as well as conceding 56 times. The club's top scorer, former Huddersfield Town forward Elias Kachunga, has managed to find the net just six times, with second place Shayne Lavery and Dan Nlundulu both on four.
Now, with a great escape the only way for Cambridge to stay in League One, a few different managers are being lined up to take over at Abbey Stadium. The frontrunner currently is former Millwall boss Neil Harris.
Current favourites
Neil Harris – 6/4
Two-time Millwall boss Neil Harris has been touted as the favourite to take charge of Cambridge after Monk's deserved sacking. The Englishman has enjoyed a lot of success in England's second tier with the club for which he featured 474 times in the league as a striker.
During his first stint with the Lions, Harris won 103 of 245 games in charge, only losing 79 times during a four-and-a-half year spell which cemented his cult hero status at The Den. Having averaged 1.52 points per game, Harris continually kept the club in the Championship, ensuring their status away from danger on multiple occasions.
Having departed to pastures new, including Cambridge themselves for a three-month period, he returned to the club in February 2024, again tasked with helping the Lions avoid relegation. He did just that, finishing the season in 13th place with 59 points. Harris then had Millwall close to the play-off places towards the start of the current campaign, before deciding it was time for him to depart the team for a second time.
The 47-year-old has been mightily impressive during his two stints at the club for which he has become a legend, leading to rumours circling that he may make a return to Abbey Stadium, to finish what he started in 2023. At 6/4, bookies view him as the favourite and the most likely individual to lead Cambridge to an improbable survival.
Mark Bonner – 4/1
Another former U's boss, 39-year-old Mark Bonner has also been tipped to make a return to the club for which he has presided over 199 games already. In his most recent stint, Bonner managed 191 games for Cambridge, constantly keeping them in League One since 2021 and racking up 76 wins and 35 draws.
Although not an incredible record, the Englishman certainly established consistency and managed expectations at Abbey Stadium, doing what it took to keep the club afloat on a shoestring budget.
He left in May 2024 to join Gillingham, but with only 10 wins from 28 fixtures and an average of 1.18 points per match, Bonner was dismissed in January of the current year. Now on the lookout for his next role, bookies are pricing him at 4/1 to make a return to Cambridge.
A Cambridge local himself, Bonner has become cemented in the club's folklore over a number of years and could be the man to lead them to the most unlikely of survivals.
Jon Brady – 5/1
A slightly more left-field choice, former Northampton Town manager Jon Brady has joined the race to be Cambridge manager, with bookies giving him 5/1 odds of securing the role. Brady resigned from his role in December 2024, having guided the Cobblers to promotion from League Two after a third-place finish in 2023/24.
Brady managed 200 games during his time at Northampton, winning 76 times and finishing in League Two's top-four spots on two occasions.
However, question marks over whether Brady is ready to return to management yet have been raised over his alleged interest in the Cambridge role. He resigned with the club having endured a six-game winless streak while being sat 21st in the table, so he did not exactly leave in the most favourable of circumstances. Yet, at 5/1, there is certainly potential for punters to make a good return by backing Brady to make his League One comeback.
Lifelong Ipswich Town supporter who recently graduated from Durham University in French and German. Have developed a passion for European football based on my links abroad and am an avid supporter of Werder Bremen and Auxerre. Joined the MFT team in October 2024 and looking to take my first steps into the world of football journalism.
