Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Manchester United hierarchy look set to be placing an Old Trafford legend back in the dugout following Ruben Amorim’s sacking – and here is why it will work
Manchester United appear to have narrowed their search for an interim boss down to former Old Trafford legends and managers of the club – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick.
The Red Devils have started their search for a new manager following Ruben Amorim’s sacking after he bizarrely blasted the board despite winning 31.9 per cent of his games in charge, giving club chiefs the perfect reason to sack him and save face over his woeful performances and results.
But the storm over INEOS’ United ownership is only going to grow with the board so far backing the wrong horse in every decision. From Erik ten Hag to Ruben Amorim while axing hundreds of club staff to sanctioning the signings of Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee and Benjamin Sesko.
Now, Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox will have to save their own reputation with the next managerial appointment. However, the lack of available candidates leaves United’s season precariously in the balance with Champions League football still firmly up for grabs.
Darren Fletcher takes caretaker charge against Burnley on Wednesday, and will seemingly still be in his position for the visit of Brighton on Sunday in the FA Cup. But an interim looks set to be appointed until the end of the season given the Scot’s coaching experience comes with the Under-18 team.
It’s a move that has failed embarrassingly in the past when Ralf Rangnick was given the task of steadying the ship following Solskjaer’s sacking in 2021, following a dreadful start to the season 2021/22 season, before stepping into a position on the board to rebuild the club.
But the German’s tenure was nothing short of a disaster, winning just 11 of his 29 games in charge and he didn’t even move into the boardroom at the end of the season when Ten Hag was hired after insisting the club needed “open heart surgery” to return to glory.
The interim option has paid off when Solskjaer was given a similar role of righting the Old Trafford ship when Jose Mourinho’s career went up in flames. The treble-winner won his first eight games in charge and masterminded the iconic comeback in Paris, where he was soon given a three-year contract.
While everyone knows how Solskjaer’s permanent tenure ended in misery, his refreshing style of attacking play, unlocking Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba from Mourinho’s shackles and nurturing Mason Greenwood into the team, was exactly what the club needed.
Fast forward eight years, and here we are again. Solskjaer is reportedly advancing in talks with United, while the club are also speaking to Carrick about returning following his three-game stint in 2021.
Both men brought an instant upturn in form and belief around the club. United’s current frontline will soon be bolstered when Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo return from AFCON and Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount’s injury comebacks, and the front-footed approach both managers employed at Old Trafford would spark life back into disillusioned fans.
Carrick’s inclusion in the running comes at a crossroads in his career as the 44-year-old looks for his next step in management after being sacked by Middlesbrough in the summer. The 34-time England international has been linked with permanent jobs in the Premier League, including Wolves and West Ham, seemingly making it a risk if he pens a six-month contract at Old Trafford and fails.
The idea of Carrick working with Solskjaer also seems a bizarre one. The former midfielder was previously assistant to his ex-team-mate but has since become a manager. Sharing joint responsibility or even returning as a coach again would be incredibly damaging for Carrick’s managerial career in the short term.
Whereas Solskjaer’s only job since leaving United came over three years later at Besiktas, where he was sacked after 29 games in charge when the Turkish club failed to qualify for the Europa Conference League at the start of the season.
Hiring Solskjaer back on a six-month deal and bringing in a higher calibre of manager in the summer makes sense. Solskjaer knows the club and some of the players still there. The board backed Amorim with a new frontline and are the third-highest scoring team in the league despite his back-three tactical setup.
A return to his 4-3-3 system, which would give Kobbie Mainoo the perfect platform to rebuild his career, and give the Reds the tools to outscore any team. During his 19-game interim spell, United won 14 and scored 40 goals and he’s a man everyone inside Old Trafford would get behind.
Ultimately, the managerial pool available currently is tiny. Chelsea had to bring across Liam Rosenior, a guy who was sacked by Championship Hull City in his penultimate job, from their Strasbourg puppet club.
Appointing Solskjaer to steady the ship just makes sense before a move for Oliver Glasner, Thomas Tuchel or whoever else the hierarchy have in mind becomes available.