Michael Carrick is set to be named Manchester United manager until the end of the season a little over a week after the club fired Ruben Amorim. The former United midfielder previously had two spells with the club as caretaker manager, in 2018 and 2021 respectively.
Former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is set to replace Ruben Amorim as manager until the end of the ongoing season, beating ex-teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the role. According to Agence France-Presse, United have reached an agreement in principle to hire the 44-year-old as caretaker manager until the end of the season, with an official announcement expected to be made soon.
Carrick, additionally, was spotted at the club’s Carrington Training Centre on Tuesday, indicating that his appointment had likely been finalised.
Michael Carrick pictured arriving at Carrington this morning #mufc https://t.co/yLRiqkwsAw
— Steven Railston (@StevenRailston) January 13, 2026
Reports also indicate that former England assistant manager Steve Holland will be part of the new United backroom staff, as will Jonathan Woodgate, who had worked with Carrick in Middlesbrough.
Carrick had previously served as United’s caretaker manager on two different occasions – after Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer were fired by the club in December 2018 and November 2021 respectively.
The ex-England international, however, was not appointed until the end of the season, handing the reins of the club over to Solskjaer in 2018 and Ralf Rangnick three years later. He also had a three-year stint with Middlesbrough that concluded last year.
As a player, the former midfielder had joined Sir Alex Ferguson’s United from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006 and would go on to make 464 appearances for the iconic club across competitions. He was part of the side that won win five Premier League titles as well as the 2007-08 Champions League under Ferguson as well as the FA Cup in 2016 under Louis van Gaal.
Carrick beats fellow United legend Solskjaer to the job
Solskjaer, who also had a stellar run at Old Trafford as a player, was
also in the race to replace Amorim as United manager until the end of the season, and had face-to-face discussions with the board regarding a return to the role. Carrick, however, reportedly enjoyed greater support from the board compared to Solskjaer.
The 52-year-old Norwegian had helped United finish third and second in the 2019-20 and the 2020-21 seasons respectively, but was relieved of his duties just three months into his third full season as manager following a string of poor results.
Amorim, meanwhile, had
lasted just 14 months in the role after being hired as a replacement for Erik ten Hag in November 2024. He had been retained despite United finishing a dismal 15th on the Premier League table last season, with the management going on to spend more than £200 million on summer signings.
The former Sporting CP boss did bring about some improvement in the team’s fortunes, with United sixth on the league table at the time of his departure and consistently challenging for a place among the top four.
Amorim, however, wasn’t happy about his role at Old Trafford and the freedom that was given to him by the management, and was let go shortly after an explosive press conference in which he reiterated that he intended to be a “manager” and not a “head coach”.
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Darren Fletcher, who is the coach of United’s U-18 team, was in charge of the side when they
suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion that resulted in a third-round exit from the FA Cup. Before that, he had overseen a four-goal draw in an away clash against relegation-threatened Burnley.
The 20-time English champions had earlier been knocked out of the League Cup in the second round after a stunning upset at the hands of fourth-tier side Grimsby Town on penalties.
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