Carrick, Solskjaer Lead Race For Manchester United Caretaker Manager Role – Arise News
Manchester United are weighing former players Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as frontrunners for the caretaker manager role until the end of the season.
Both men have previous experience managing United, Carrick briefly as caretaker and are set for face-to-face talks with the club’s leadership. It remains possible the duo could share the role, as Carrick was a key part of Solskjaer’s coaching team when he replaced Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford in 2018.
Darren Fletcher, United’s current under-18s coach, who has also been approached about the role, will continue as interim manager until a caretaker is appointed. Fletcher oversaw his first match on Wednesday, a 2-2 draw at Burnley in the Premier League, and will remain in charge for Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Brighton.
Former United captain and pundit Gary Neville said the club were following a familiar path in appointing a former player. He told Sky Sports: “It is almost like a cycle, like a movie we have all seen before and Groundhog Day. What I do think is Ole is someone who absolutely loves the club, he knows the job, he has been in the job. The other names that have been mentioned, Michael Carrick, Ruud van Nistelrooy, these are really fantastic people. I trained with those guys for a lot of years. They love the club intensely, they get the club, but still they are going to come under a lot of pressure in this next four or five months if results don’t go their way and they are going to have to be ready for that. Whoever is going to get it out of those three who are being mentioned, I wish them all the best because it is a tough role.”
Van Nistelrooy, the former United striker, is also understood to be a contender.
United plan to name a permanent successor for Amorim in the summer, following his sacking on Monday after a turbulent 14 months in charge. One player told BBC Sport that it was possible the caretaker role could be shared, or that Fletcher could stay in the job until the end of the season if the next two matches produce positive results.
Solskjaer, who initially took over in a similar caretaker capacity in 2018, later became full-time manager for three years before his dismissal in November 2021. Carrick also had a three-game stint as temporary boss after Solskjaer’s exit before leaving the club in December 2021.
Solskjaer’s managerial career spans over 332 more games than Carrick. After retiring from playing, he led Molde to two Norwegian titles and had stints with Cardiff City and Besiktas. Despite a recent sacking by Besiktas after 29 games, he maintains a career win ratio of 53.1%.
Carrick’s managerial experience is more limited, with a single permanent role at Middlesbrough. He joined United’s coaching staff at the end of the 2017-18 season and briefly served as interim manager following Solskjaer’s departure. At Middlesbrough, he guided the team to a play-off finish in 2022-23 but was sacked in June last year after narrowly missing top-six finishes. His managerial win rate stands at 46.8%.
Early contenders for the permanent managerial role include Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner and former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi, now at Marseille. Glasner declined to comment, stating: “I am Crystal Palace manager and it makes no sense for you to ask me any more questions about it.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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