Michael Carrick will be announced as the new Manchester United manager as early as this afternoon after another round of positive talks between his representatives and the club.
Carrick, who was seen arriving at United’s training ground this morning, has agreed a deal that will place him in charge of the first team until the end of the season, when a longer-term appointment will be made. The 44-year-old will be assisted by Steve Holland, who was Gareth Southgate’s No2 with England, and Jonathan Woodgate, with whom Carrick worked at Middlesbrough.
Jonny Evans, the former United defender who recently quit his job as the club’s head of loans and pathways, will also be on Carrick’s backroom staff, while Travis Binnion steps up from his role as under-21s head coach to join the first-team set-up. Carrick and his coaches were signing their contracts at the training ground this morning. Darren Fletcher, who led the team for the past two games, returns to his role with the under-18s.
Holland, right, was Southgate’s No2 with England and previously worked as a coach at Chelsea under the likes of José Mourinho and Antonio Conte
EDDIE KEOGH/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES
Carrick emerged as the favourite to take over from Fletcher on Sunday night, forging ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after both men met the United hierarchy last week. Fletcher, another former United midfielder, has taken caretaker charge of United’s two games since the sacking of Ruben Amorim.
The United players are due to return to training on Wednesday, with Carrick’s first game in charge set to come against Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime.
Solskjaer, who previously managed United for three years from 2018 to 2021, was also very much in the club’s thoughts. However, The Times understands that Carrick, who spent 12 years at Old Trafford as a player, impressed in discussions. Carrick has been out of work since June after being sacked by Middlesbrough, whom he joined in 2022.
Carrick served as a coach during Solskjaer’s time as United manager
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One of the reasons Carrick got the nod over Solskjaer is that the United board think he is more of a hands-on coach who likes to get involved in and orchestrate training sessions.
Solskjaer generally likes to observe coaching drills from the sidelines, allowing his coaches to run the training sessions. During Solskjaer’s time in charge of United, Carrick and Kieran McKenna, then first-team coaches, often took the lead in training.
The United hierarchy were also impressed by Carrick’s personality during his pitch to take over. He is viewed as an intelligent person who is likely to have a lot of respect from within the dressing room and club as a whole.
Wayne Rooney said he would be open to joining Carrick’s backroom staff if he wants him to do so. The former United captain has been out of work since leaving Plymouth Argyle on December 31, 2024.
“Of course I would [join Carrick’s backroom staff if asked]. It’s a no-brainer.” Rooney said on his BBC podcast.
“I’m not begging for a job here, by the way. Just so everyone knows, if I was asked to go in, of course I would. Appointing the manager is the most important thing. Whether Michael goes in or if that’s Fletch [Darren Fletcher] or John O’Shea or myself, it needs people who know the football club. The club has lost its identity.”
Fletcher, meanwhile, is thought to be keen to return to his former role as head coach of United’s under-18 side. The Scot took that job in the summer and has developed a bond with the squad. His aim is to win the FA Youth Cup after beating Peterborough United last month to set up a fourth-round tie against Derby County, which will take place on January 23.
Fletcher challenged the United players not to “waste” their season after their galling cup exit
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Fletcher, who oversaw a draw with Burnley in the Premier League and Sunday’s FA Cup defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion, and Ruud van Nistelrooy were considered for the interim role, with United looking to appoint Amorim’s longer-term successor in the summer.
Carrick, however, is the preferred candidate. Though he was happy to take an extended break from management after being sacked by Middlesbrough — he rejected an approach from Wolverhampton Wanderers two months ago when they sacked Vítor Pereira — he could not turn down the opportunity to speak to United once he discovered they were interested in him.
The former England midfielder was in charge of Middlesbrough for 2½ years. They reached the Sky Bet Championship play-offs in his first season in charge but were knocked out by Coventry City, losing 1-0 over two legs in the semi-finals. The following year they finished eighth under Carrick and reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals, where they lost to Chelsea.
A run of one win in the final six matches of last season ended Middlesbrough’s play-off chances and led to Carrick’s dismissal, with the team finishing tenth. In his three matches in temporary charge of United just over four years ago he beat Arsenal and Villarreal and drew against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Carrick improves players — but fans were frustrated by calm demeanour
Michael Carrick’s biggest success on Teesside came from his first season in charge, when he took Middlesbrough from 21st in the Championship table to a fourth-place finish (Joe Harston writes). He missed out on the top six in the following two seasons, so while he still had credit in the bank with some fans, patience eventually wore thin.
His football was fun to watch most of the time. He had a strong focus on possession, set up in a 4-2-3-1. He would often use a natural winger on one side and expect his other wide player to drift in and rotate with the No10 to create fluid attacking moves. He expected his players to be comfortable on the ball, including his goalkeeper, which gave fans a scare because of the way they played out from the back.
In tougher periods when the defence were leaking goals, fans called for a more direct approach in attack. Carrick was also criticised for not being proactive with his substitutions and his ultra-calm demeanour was often considered frustrating when his side were losing more frequently towards the end of his tenure.
Carrick’s work with Rogers, and his subsequent sale, led to a financial boon for Middlesbrough
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Middlesbrough were free-scoring in that first season but they never reached similar heights after many of the star men had left the following summer. The struggles to replace the goals after Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer had left the club may be down more to the recruitment team than Carrick’s managerial skills, however.
It cannot be denied how well he nurtured talent at the club. Akpom had been sidelined by previous managers but under Carrick he became the Championship’s top goalscorer. Hayden Hackney, a youth product, had very few league starts before Carrick’s arrival, but under his watch he became one of the most sought-after midfielders in the division.
The manager’s work with Morgan Rogers and Emmanuel Latte Lath gave the club a financial boost too. The pair were signed for a combined fee of just over £5million and were then sold for more than £30million after short spells under Carrick.