Manchester United are moving closer to appointing an interim head coach, with the club’s hierarchy now locked in final deliberations between two former players, Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, following face-to-face meetings at Old Trafford.
According to Sky Sports News, which reported the development on Monday, both candidates have now formally presented their proposals to senior figures within the club, with further detailed discussions scheduled to continue throughout the day.
Sources familiar with the matter indicate that Carrick delivered a particularly strong showing during his meetings with the decision-makers, though there remains significant acknowledgement within the club of the enduring popularity that Solskjaer commanded during his previous tenure as manager.
The urgency to finalise the appointment has intensified, with the club seeking to have a new interim head coach in place as quickly as possible. This timeline is driven by the need to afford the incoming manager adequate preparation time ahead of Saturday’s high-stakes Manchester derby at Old Trafford, one of the most significant fixtures in English football.
The search for an interim solution has become necessary following confirmation from Darren Fletcher that his agreed short-term stint overseeing the first team has concluded. Fletcher, who has served in various coaching and technical roles at United since his return to the club, stepped into temporary charge following the departure of the previous manager.
Speaking to reporters after United’s 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton on Sunday, Fletcher indicated that he would be at the Carrington Training Centre on Monday to discuss his next assignment within the club’s structure, signalling the end of his brief period at the helm of the senior squad.
“I will report to Carrington on Monday to discuss my next role within the club,” Fletcher said following the Brighton match.
The loss to Brighton has compounded what has been a challenging period for the Old Trafford club. United have now been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions, leaving the Premier League as their sole remaining competitive focus for the remainder of the current season. This reduced fixture list has added further pressure on the club to stabilise and maximise their league standing in what remains of the campaign.
Michael Carrick, who spent 12 years as a player at United between 2006 and 2018, winning five Premier League titles, the Champions League, and numerous other honours, has coaching experience at the club. He previously served as first-team coach under Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer, and briefly took charge of the team on an interim basis in 2021 following Solskjaer’s dismissal, overseeing three matches before the arrival of Ralf Rangnick.
Carrick’s playing career at United was distinguished by his technical ability, tactical intelligence, and leadership qualities. These attributes, combined with his intimate knowledge of the club’s culture and infrastructure, are understood to have featured prominently in his discussions with the hierarchy.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, meanwhile, remains one of the most beloved figures in Manchester United’s modern history, both for his legendary playing career and his three-year spell as manager from December 2018 to November 2021. As a player, the Norwegian striker scored 126 goals for United, including the memorable injury-time winner in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich that completed the club’s historic treble.
During his managerial tenure, Solskjaer oversaw a period of relative stability and restored a degree of optimism among supporters, though his reign ultimately ended without major silverware. He secured consecutive top-four finishes in the Premier League and reached the Europa League final in 2021, where United lost to Villarreal on penalties.
The affection many within the club and fanbase continue to hold for Solskjaer is reportedly a significant factor in the current deliberations, though the appointment will ultimately be determined by assessments of who is best positioned to steady the team and extract improved performances in the remaining weeks of the season.
Manchester United’s season has been marked by inconsistency and underperformance relative to the club’s historic standards and the quality of the squad assembled. The club currently sits outside the top four positions in the Premier League, and their elimination from both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup has left them without realistic prospects of securing silverware this term.
The urgency surrounding this appointment is underscored by the fixture calendar. The Manchester derby against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Saturday represents not only a crucial opportunity to claim points in the race for European qualification but also carries immense symbolic and emotional weight for the club’s supporters.
Derbies between the two Manchester clubs have grown in significance over the past 15 years as City have emerged as a dominant force in English and European football, winning multiple Premier League titles and consistently challenging for major honours. For United, victory in such fixtures has become increasingly important as a means of asserting their competitive relevance and pride.
The decision to pursue an interim appointment rather than a permanent manager at this stage of the season reflects the complexities of the modern football recruitment landscape. With most established managers currently employed and the season already well advanced, United’s leadership appears to have concluded that a short-term solution is the most pragmatic approach, allowing for a more comprehensive and strategic search for a long-term appointment to be conducted during the summer.
This approach mirrors the strategy the club employed in late 2021 when Carrick briefly took charge before Rangnick was brought in as interim manager until the end of that season. However, the mixed results of that arrangement have reportedly prompted the current hierarchy to seek someone with deeper ties to the club’s culture and expectations.
Both Carrick and Solskjaer represent continuity with United’s traditions and possess firsthand understanding of the pressures and demands associated with representing the club. This familiarity with Old Trafford’s unique environment is considered an asset, particularly in a short-term appointment where there is limited time to establish authority and implement tactical changes.
