Manchester United are likely to bring in a new head coach at the end of the season despite Michael Carrick automatically placing his name in the hat
Gary Neville has claimed that Manchester United have told him that they have already started looking for a permanent head coach for the 2026/27 season.
United appointed Michael Carrick on an interim basis last month after Ruben Amorim was sacked. The former United midfielder has got off to the perfect start with four wins from four games, beating Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham.
Carrick’s contract runs until the end of the season, with United expected to bring in a permanent head coach for next season. However, speculation has already started linking the 44-year-old with the job on a full-time basis after his impressive start.
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Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique is one of the favourites to come to the club, with Mauricio Pochettino, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel all linked with the vacancy.
According to Neville, the process to bring in the new manager has already begun. Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast on Sunday after the weekend’s Premier League action, the former defender revealed insight into the decision-making process.
“I asked the club ‘what is the official position of the football club in terms of what you’re saying publicly to everybody else?’ They said ‘we’ve actually begun our process now of starting to look for another manager,’” he said.
“What they’ve said is they’re not going to be bounced into, irrespective of wins or draws or losses on the pitch in this next couple of months, making an appointment. They’re going to wait towards the end of the season… if Michael Carrick says ‘I want to put my name in the hat’, Carrick would go into a process.”
Carrick has avoided any talk about his long-term future at Old Trafford, but prior to the win over Tottenham, he dropped his first hint that he would stay if the opportunity was presented. “Nothing’s changed, to be honest,” he said.
“I’m fully aware of the role I’m doing here and the responsibility I’ve got. We want to be successful, and I want the club to be successful beyond the end of the season – if that’s me, if that’ somebody else.
“At this stage, I can’t control that and we’ll see what happens, but it’s certainly about trying to improve the team and making Manchester United stronger. Results over a short period of time don’t change that.
“If they have changed there is something wrong. It can’t be so knee-jerk whether it’s really good or whether there’s a few issues we need to solve.”