Michael Carrick has guided Manchester United back into the Champions League but uncertainty remains over whether the interim boss will be given the permanent manager’s role
Despite guiding Manchester United back to the Champions League, Michael Carrick’s future at the club remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team have insisted a permanent manager will be appointed at the season’s end, a stance that appears set to hold firm regardless of Carrick’s achievements. United are back in action with a visit to Sunderland on Saturday, where a fourth consecutive victory would all but secure third place.
They currently hold a six-point lead over Liverpool, who could still overtake them, and need every point they can muster to help boost their summer transfer kitty. However, it’s still up in the air whether Carrick will be the one wielding those funds. And one alleged club insider is making waves with his supposed inside track on Carrick’s potential successor. Here’s all the latest news from Old Trafford.
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Gary Neville faces uncomfortable allegation
United legend Gary Neville found himself in a tricky position during the most recent debate about the club’s next managerial appointment.
That’s after former colleagues Paul Scholes and Roy Keane turned up the heat on their old mate for his “insider knowledge” of goings-on at Old Trafford, reports the Mirror.
All three featured on the latest instalment of the Stick to Football podcast, where the subject of Carrick and United’s next manager surfaced once more. Neville enquired: “The big question is, what do Manchester United do about the manager, Michael Carrick?
“The question is, from people who support the appointment of Michael, for people who are more nervous, the question is who would you put in?”
Republic of Ireland legend Keane then turned to Neville and said: “What’s your vibes because, you know, you are on the inside.” But before Neville could respond, Scholes interrupted: “I know what he is going to say… [Julian] Nagelsmann. He says Nagelsmann every time I see him.”
Germany manager Nagelsmann has been among the names mentioned as a possible replacement for Carrick following World Cup 2026. That possibility appears unlikely, though, given Nagelsmann is tied down to guide Die Mannschaft until after Euro 2028.
Yet Neville seemed to almost take exception to the suggestion he possessed insider knowledge at Old Trafford and replied: “I don’t know Nagelsmann. I’ve not spoken to anybody at Manchester United about him at all, that’s an absolute fabrication.
“I mention him because he’s been at Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich. He’s got 10 years of experience managing in clubs with incredible coaching pedigree.”
So according to Neville, Nagelsmann is purely his own personal choice if Carrick is replaced based on merit alone. However, supporters and even his own mates question whether he isn’t perhaps privy to some additional information on the matter.
Carrick ‘disappointed’ over FA Youth Cup
Carrick has added his voice to the chorus of disappointment regarding the scheduling of the FA Youth Cup final.
United’s under-18s will face their Manchester City counterparts next Thursday in a bid to be crowned best of the next generation. City’s Joie Stadium, home of the development and women’s teams, had been earmarked to host the decider.
Supporters had hoped the fixture would be relocated to the 53,400-capacity Etihad Stadium once the derby final fixture was confirmed, but City rejected the idea to concentrate on upgrading its North Stand ready for the final Premier League weekend of the season.
It was then that United put forward Old Trafford as a potential venue to dramatically boost the capacity for such an occasion. However, many have voiced their frustration after City spurned the proposal to keep the clash at the 7,000-capacity Joie Stadium, Carrick included.
“I’m disappointed, to be honest,” he said. “I think getting to the Youth Cup final always seems to have been a thing where you play at the main stadium and it’s such a showcase event for players of that age group.
“So we’re disappointed. I think I’ve had some amazing memories, some of my best memories, in that competition of playing with your close mates and it’s a shame that it hasn’t worked out for whatever reason.
“But listen, for the boys to go there…it’s a fantastic game, it’s a great opportunity. I’m sure the game itself will be good, and I’m looking forward to going and supporting the boys.”