Manchester United have a long list of head coach options ahead of the summer and Jamie Carragher has trimmed down the options to name four managers who should be on their radar
Jamie Carragher has predicted who will be Manchester United’s next manager(Image: Sky Sports Premier League)
Jamie Carragher has identified the four managers who Manchester United should be considering to take over next summer and named his most likely appointment.
Michael Carrick started his interim spell in charge of United on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Manchester City. Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu lifted Carrick’s men to just one point off Liverpool in fourth place.
The former midfielder is expected to depart at the end of the season, with the club to appoint a permanent head coach. However, the win over City has already kick-started talk over Carrick getting the job on a full-time basis.
A number of managers have been linked to the vacancy for the 2026/27 season, with United expected to have already started the process to appoint a permanent successor to Ruben Amorim.
On Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher analysed 25 managers who could be the next United boss. The list includes Brazil’s Carlo Ancelotti, England’s Thomas Tuchel and ex-Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso.
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Carragher worked his way through the list, crossing off the likes of Gareth Southgate, Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner and Xavi. At the end of the process, just four candidates were left: Julian Nagelsmann, Tuchel, Luis Enrique and Eddie Howe.
Speaking on Howe, he said: “I’m a huge fan of Eddie Howe. I think the type of football that you see from Newcastle at their best – high energy, pressing and in the future – that’s not just Manchester United, that’s a lot of top clubs and how they want to play.
“The real big thing I like about Eddie Howe is how he handles the press, you’ve got to be able to handle the press as a Man United manager, it’s the club that’s on the back pages more than any other club in this country. Newcastle, we probably don’t think it from the outside, but when you’re inside Newcastle and you live in that city, that is just a constant thing and he handles it brilliantly.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has been linked with the Manchester United vacancy(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Image)
“What he also does that I think would really help Man United, they have a problem right now that no matter who they bring in, player-wise, a lot of them fail and they don’t go on to realise their potential. I think Eddie Howe is a great coach.”
Pushed on what United will do, he added: “If you’re Man United, I think everybody would want Luis Enrique. They would have watched how PSG played last year. We’re talking about a guy who has won the Champions League twice.
“I don’t think they’ll get Luis Enrique. I think there’s a good chance that they end up with Thomas Tuchel”
Despite getting off to the perfect start against City, Carrick was ruled out by Carragher. “I am not going to change my mind,” he said. “I always think this when a Liverpool manager is appointed: Do I believe this guy can win us the league? It doesn’t mean he will do it, but I have to believe he can.
“I don’t believe Manchester United can win the league with Michael Carrick as manager, or Chelsea can win the league with Liam Rosenior as manager. I am not trying to be disrespectful. I am giving my honest opinion of what I feel and what they have done in the past.
“You have to be really special. Think of the managers who have won the Premier League, 99 per cent of them are special, and I think Michael Carrick lacks that. I might be proven wrong, but that is why I will take Michael Carrick out of that.”
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