Former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is considered the favourite to land the role of interim head coach of the club, Afrosport reports.
The Red Devils have been without a permanent coach since the dismissal of Ruben Amorim last week. Since the Portuguese’s departure, another former player and U-18s coach, Darren Fletcher, stepped in to oversee the Premier League match against Burnley and the FA Cup tie against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Scotsman is however expected to step down for the next interim manager ahead of this weekend’s derby with Manchester United.
Carrick, along with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has been considered the candidate to lead the club until the end of the season.
Solskjaer was interim manager after the dismissal of Jose Mourinho in December 2019 and was given the job permanently after a strong run of form.
Meanwhile, Carrick oversaw three games after Solskjaer’s dismissal in 2021 before Austrian tactician Ralf Rangnick came in on an interim basis.
Both men held talks with the United hierarchy over the weekend, and according to reports, Carrick is the preferred option, with an announcement set to be made before players return to training on Wednesday.
Carrick played 464 games for United between 2006 and 2018, winning 18 titles, including five Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League title. He was in charge of Middlesbrough between October 2022 and June 2025, leading them to the EFL Championship playoff semi-finals in his first season and also the semi-finals of the EFL Cup during the 2023-24 campaign.
