Man Utd manager latest: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick contacted over interim manager position | Football News

Manchester United have begun talking to external candidates as they look for an interim manager to take charge of the team until the end of the season – with three former favourites at Old Trafford in the mix for a possible return after Ruben Amorim’s departure.

Sky Sports News has been told that Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer have both been spoken to, informally, about the possibility of them taking charge until the end of the season, alongside the current caretaker Darren Fletcher. It’s expected that other candidates will also be called before any decision is taken.

While the current focus is on finding an interim boss, the club haven’t ruled out the possibility of making a substantive appointment, if they decide the right coach is available. For that, United are considering a much wider pool.

Director of football Jason Wilcox is leading the process for United and following the initial, informal conversations with candidates, he is expected to conduct more formal interviews before making a recommendation in the coming days. Any final decision will be sanctioned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

No timescales have been set, but it’s thought the club’s bosses would like to have someone in place before the Manchester derby on January 17. Fletcher is expected to be in charge for the next two matches, against Burnley in the Premier League on Wednesday and Brighton in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Fletcher himself is a contender for the interim role, but United’s hierarchy have viewed him as a promising option for the future, because of his lack of first-team coaching experience right now. Nevertheless, we’ve been told Fletcher has always been close with United’s players, and the squad has been impressed by the early work he has done with them so far, with morale around the camp pretty high.

Wilcox has already had conversations with former Old Trafford favourites Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer about the interim head coach position, with both seen as good possibilities to come into a club they know well. Both are currently out of work and available without the need to pay compensation.