Michael Carrick to the rescue: Man United legend poised for interim role

Manchester United are set to appoint club legend Michael Carrick as the interim manager for the rest of the season, following the sacking of Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim after a series of poor results and public outbursts directed at the club chiefs.

Michael Carrick, a former midfielder at Old Trafford, was in the race for the prestigious role together with fellow United legends, Darren Fletcher and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

However, Carrick has beaten Solskjaer, who was one of the leading contenders for the hot seat, after intervention from senior players.

Carrick will take charge until the end of the season for what will be his second stint at the helm. Solskjaer had been the favourite to replace the sacked Amorim, and was interviewed twice for the role.

However, the move was swiftly blocked when a group of senior players approached the club hierarchy and made their stance crystal clear: they had zero appetite for Solskjaer’s return.

Sources say the dressing room expressed a complete lack of faith in the Norwegian and instead pushed strongly for Carrick to take the reins through to the end of the season.

Michael Carrick will be in the dugout as interim manager for Manchester United for a second stint

The former Red Devils’ legend Solskjaer managed the club between 2018 and 2021, before being shown the exit after winning 54 per cent (91) of his 168 matches in charge.

Carrick’s appointment as interim manager is expected to be rubber-stamped by Tuesday, following a swift process spearheaded by chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.

The 44-year-old is expected to take his first training session on Wednesday, ahead of his first game this weekend in the Premier League when United face a high-huddle with neighbours Manchester City at Old Trafford.

United has won just one of its last seven games in all competitions, coming into Sunday’s fixture, which could potentially be seen as a baptism of fire for the struggling side and for Carrick.

He has been out of work since being sacked by Championship club Middlesbrough in June. The English manager led Boro to the Championship play-offs in the 2022/23 campaign, but lost to Coventry in the semi-finals.

His side then narrowly missed the top six in back-to-back seasons, leading to his eventual dismissal from the Riverside Stadium.

The former England midfielder etched his name into United folklore with 464 appearances and a glittering haul of 18 major trophies, crowned by the 2008 Champions League triumph.

After hanging up his boots at the close of the 2017-18 season, he seamlessly transitioned into coaching, joining Jose Mourinho’s backroom staff at Old Trafford.

And when Mourinho was sacked, Carrick assumed the first-team coach duties throughout Solskjaer’s 168-game reign, after Mourinho’s sacking.

Fellow contender Fletcher had led United in the past two matches following the sacking of Amorim. The under-18s coach was at the helm of affairs for their 2-2 draw with Burnley in the Premier League before their 2-1 defeat by Brighton in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.