Michael Carrick is the leading candidate to become Manchester United’s caretaker head coach, according to sources familiar with the situation. Club officials aim to finalise the appointment before players return to training on Wednesday.
Talks with the 44-year-old have advanced, though no final decision has been made yet. Carrick previously served as interim boss for three games in 2021 after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s exit, winning two and drawing one before Ralf Rangnick took over.
Carrick enjoys strong support from the United squad and the Ineos group that oversees football operations at the club.
Background on recent managerial changes
Ruben Amorim was sacked as manager on 5 January after 14 months in charge. Darren Fletcher, a former United midfielder, stepped in temporarily and oversaw a Premier League draw at Burnley last Wednesday followed by an FA Cup third-round loss to Brighton on Sunday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer held talks with the club on Saturday regarding a possible return, but Carrick currently leads the race for the caretaker role.
Carrick played 464 games for United between 2006 and 2018 after joining from Tottenham under Sir Alex Ferguson. He joined the coaching staff under Jose Mourinho in 2018 and remained as first-team coach during Solskjaer’s time.
He took his only permanent managerial job at Middlesbrough in the Championship, guiding them to the play-offs in 2022-23 before losing in the semi-finals. They narrowly missed the top six in the next two seasons, leading to his dismissal in June last year.
