Man Utd snub Michael Carrick and decide top choice to become manager | Football

Manchester United are leaning towards making an external managerial appointment despite Michael Carrick’s impressive return to Old Trafford.

United have taken 13 points out of a possible 15 since Carrick was appointed caretaker manager last month, winning four games in a row before Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham.

Manchester United were sixth in the Premier League when they decided to pull the plug on former boss Ruben Amorim, who had a disappointing 14-month reign.

While that represented a marked improvement on a team that finished 15th last season, United were still struggling for consistency, exiting both domestic cup competitions at the earliest possible stage.

It was not only underwhelming performances that cost Amorim his job but also his public criticism of those above him at Old Trafford in the days leading to his sacking.

Champions League qualification appeared unlikely at the time of Amorim’s departure but Carrick has taken the Red Devils back into the top-four.

Carrick’s tenure as caretaker manager started with impressive wins over title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal, before United beat Fulham and Tottenham.

Manchester United were not at their best against West Ham but Benjamin Sesko’s injury-time equaliser maintained Carrick’s unbeaten record.

Carrick’s return to Old Trafford was initially only expected to be temporary, with United always planning to make a permanent appointment at the end of the season.

But United’s brilliant form under the ex-midfielder has led to calls for Carrick to be named as Amorim’s full-time replacement.

England legend Wayne Rooney, for example, has suggested Carrick will become ‘impossible’ to ignore if United’s current form continues until the end of the season.

But according to Sky Sports, Manchester United are not accelerating their plans to appoint a new manager and still do not view Carrick as the favourite for the job.

The likes of Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti, Mauricio Pochettino, Oliver Glasner, Luis Enrique and Roberto De Zerbi have all been linked with United since Amorim’s sacking.

The Manchester Evening News claim England boss Tuchel is emerging as the ‘preferred choice’ of Old Trafford decision-makers.

Tuchel took charge of the Three Lions last year but is only contracted to England until after this summer’s World Cup, meaning he will likely be available come July.

Before becoming England manager, Tuchel had spells at Bayern Munich, PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea, where he won the Champions League and Club World Cup.

While much could change before the end of the season, overlooking Carrick would be fairly surprising as he already appears to have the backing of the United squad.

Captain Bruno Fernandes has repeatedly praised the former England midfielder since he took over and goalkeeper Senne Lammens followed suit after the West Ham draw.

‘We can be happy with the first five games with him as a coach,’ Amorim’s £18m summer signing said.

Gary Neville reveals Man Utd’s ‘official position’ on manager search

‘I actually spoke to the club, because ultimately the club get asked all the time from journalists and broadcasters, what’s the position of the club.

‘It’s a very difficult situation, you’ve got a massive movement now with what’s happened towards giving Carrick the job, saying that really he should be considered.

‘That’s only going to build the more that he wins and the more that he gets closer to Champions League football. I asked the club what is the official position of the football club in terms of what you’re saying publicly to everybody else.

Advertisement

‘I have to say I thought their answer was pretty good. They said they’ve actually begun the process now, starting to look for another manager, which I thought right.

‘It’s a very difficult situation, you’ve got a massive movement now with what’s happened towards giving Carrick the job, saying that really he should be considered.

‘That’s only going to build the more that he wins and the more that he gets closer to Champions League football. That’s good to hear because you need to plan for everything.

‘They’ve started the process of speaking to and looking at other managers, building all the sorts of data and analysing who should be the next manager of the football club.

Advertisement

‘But 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 until towards the end of the season.’

Gary Neville speaking on his Sky Sports podcast

Advertisement

‘The West Ham result was a little bit disappointing because we wanted to continue winning and now, being two weeks without a game, we wanted to go in that period with a good feeling.

‘But it’s a little bit less bad because we scored at the end. One of his [Carrick’s] strong suits is communication, being clear about what he wants. We knew what we had to do and executed the plan.

‘Man City and Arsenal were different kinds of games because we didn’t really have to make it ourselves.

‘It was more about being compact, playing from the counter and creating chances, which is one of our strong suits. We know we can do well against those teams.

‘Against Fulham and Tottenham we had to play more of our game. It was not always the prettiest, but the result was there, which is the most important thing, and something we haven’t really done all season.’

Due to being knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton, Manchester United have almost two weeks off before they return to Premier League action on February 23 against Everton.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Erling Haaland update after injury in Manchester City win over Fulham

MORE: The games Kai Havertz will miss as Arsenal star suffers new injury

MORE: ‘Has to wait’ – Mikel Arteta urged to bench Arsenal star against Brentford despite fitness hint