Michael Carrick Poised for Manchester United Caretaker Role

Michael Carrick has emerged as the leading candidate for the position of caretaker head coach at Manchester United, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Club executives are aiming to finalize an appointment before players return to training on Wednesday. Although a definitive decision has not yet been made, discussions with the 44-year-old have progressed positively regarding the role.

Carrick previously served as United’s temporary manager for three matches following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021. During that brief tenure, he achieved two victories and one draw, but stepped down when Ralf Rangnick was appointed as interim manager.

In recent developments, Solskjaer engaged in discussions with the club on Saturday regarding a possible return. United recently parted ways with Ruben Amorim after his 14-month tenure, on January 5.

Following Amorim’s exit, Darren Fletcher, a former midfielder for both United and Scotland, was initially tasked with managing first-team affairs. However, United faced an FA Cup third-round elimination against Brighton on Sunday, which is expected to mark Fletcher’s second and final game in charge, following a draw against struggling Burnley in the Premier League last Wednesday.

Carrick, who played 464 matches across all competitions for United from 2006 to 2018 after being signed from Tottenham by Sir Alex Ferguson, has been without a managerial role since his dismissal from Championship club Middlesbrough last June after a two-and-a-half-year stint. He led Middlesbrough to the Championship playoffs in the 2022-23 season, where they lost to Coventry in the semi-finals, and narrowly missed the top six in consecutive campaigns, leading to his departure.

Though Carrick’s managerial experience does not match that of Solskjaer, given his sole permanent post at Middlesbrough, he transitioned into coaching at United immediately following his retirement. He joined José Mourinho’s coaching staff at the end of the 2017-18 season and remained as a first-team coach throughout Solskjaer’s 168-game tenure.