Key Takeaways
- Club chiefs will judge Carrick only after the final whistle on 2024-25
- Interim coach has taken 26 points from 12 league games to lift United to third
- England boss Thomas Tuchel and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann remain long-term options
Manchester United will not rush into naming a permanent manager, even though Michael Carrick has guided the Reds back into the Champions League places.
Director of football Jason Wilcox and the board want to wait until the campaign ends before they choose between keeping the caretaker or turning to an outside candidate, sources have told Kenya Football HQ.
Carrick, 44, has won eight of his dozen league fixtures since taking over from the sacked Ruben Amorim in January. The run has lifted United from seventh to third and on course for a top-four finish, yet one slip, such as last week’s 2-1 home defeat to Leeds, is enough to keep evaluators watching.
Staff say the former midfielder is already helping shape summer transfer plans. Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouameni heads a midfield shortlist that also features Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace passer Adam Wharton.
United explored the idea of Thomas Tuchel two years ago and still admire the German, who recently extended his England deal to 2028. A poor World Cup could change that landscape, while Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, also tied to 2028, is admired but has not been approached.
For now Carrick continues to take training without any promise of a long-term contract, and the club’s powerbrokers insist no final call will come before May.