Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Brentford put them on the brink of Champions League qualification, but interim manager Michael Carrick said they must keep pushing to finish as high up the Premier League table as possible.
United now need just two points from their last four games to seal their place in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2023-24.
Carrick’s future at Old Trafford remains unclear, though, while it has been confirmed that the talismanic scorer of their first goal on Monday – and leader in the centre of the pitch – will be leaving the club in the summer.
Al Jazeera Sport looks at where United’s return to former glories currently stands.
Brazilian international Casemiro headed United in front in the early stages at Old Trafford after Bruno Fernandes’s corner was nodded on by Harry Maguire.
Fernandes helped United double their lead just before half-time with a surging run and pinpoint pass to Benjamin Sesko, who fired home in clinical style.
Carrick’s side survived Mathias Jensen’s late strike to secure a second successive victory, cementing their grip on third place in the Premier League.
The victory on Monday lifted United to 61 points, 11 clear of sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, with four games remaining.
With the top five qualifying for the Champions League next season, United need two more points to seal their return to Europe’s elite competition after a two-year absence.
“The Champions League is one thing, but it’s not something that we should be over-celebrating either,” former United midfielder Carrick told reporters after Monday’s game.
“We want to be finishing high up the league, really, and we want to be challenging high up in the league and trying to get more points so our season doesn’t get to a close when that happens.
“We have put ourselves in good position, but there’s still more work to be done,” added Carrick, who took charge in January after Ruben Amorim’s dismissal.
Casemiro netted his ninth goal of the season on Monday at Old Trafford, and while supporters have called on the club to keep him for another year, Carrick said the midfielder’s future lies elsewhere.
“From both sides, it’s pretty clear. Probably the situation and the clarity of it has helped everything,” he said, reiterating the previous announcement that Casemiro’s contract will not be renewed at the end of the season.
“It means a lot to him and credit to him because of the situation that it is, he’s given absolutely everything as well and had some big moments for us.”
Brazilian veteran Casemiro now has four goals in his last six games, underlining his enduring value to United.
Fernandes is even more important, the United captain making his 19th assist of the campaign to move within one of the single-season Premier League records currently held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Carrick knows the value of his midfield pair, and the United interim boss said: “Casemiro has scored some big goals for us. Bruno and Casemiro have a good relationship.
“We have scored nearly every game, and Bruno is a big part of that. He could have maybe had one more assist and scored himself.”
When Carrick took over until the end of the season, United were languishing in sixth place, with a Champions League berth far from assured.
The former United midfielder has impressively steadied the ship following the turbulent reign of Amorim.
United next face fourth-placed Liverpool on Sunday, with their fierce rivals – and the defending Premier League champions – only three points behind.
“It wasn’t a given, at certain stages we weren’t favourites,” Carrick said of their vicinity to Champions League qualification.
Another win, and against the team that historically represent their biggest derby of the season, will put Carrick in a strong position to stay on next season.
“Now we are in a good position and want to finish as high in the league as we want to keep pushing for that,” Carrick said.
“I thought the spirit, effort and togetherness of the players was fantastic. It’s the time of year when it’s a result business, and we needed to take points.
“It’s a tough finish in a tough league. To get the amount of wins we have, we are delighted with that.
“We have an important game coming up against Liverpool, and we can look forward to that.”
Carrick’s name is hard to avoid – and by quite some margin – at the top of the list of favourites to be appointed as the permanent replacement for Amorim.
His lack of a long-term Premier League, or indeed any top-flight experience elsewhere, is the major consideration for the United hierarchy.
Andoni Iraola has announced that he will leave Bournemouth in the summer and has long been touted for one of the top jobs in England, including Chelsea, Tottenham and even as a successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City one day.
His attacking style and high press would suit the Manchester United way – famed under the club’s two most successful managers, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Whether a step up to United from Bournemouth would be seen as too big a leap remains to be seen, but Iraola is the second favourite for the job among bookmakers.
The most high-profile name being linked to the role is the German national team manager, Julian Nagelsmann.
The 38-year-old has had a meteoric managerial rise from Hoffenheim and Leipzig to Bayern Munich, where he spent two seasons before being appointed to the national team job in 2023.
His playing career, as a central defender, was cut short before it had the chance to begin due to a knee injury in 2006.
Former England manager Gareth Southgate has long been linked with the United job, but his more pragmatic and defensive approach to tactics and formations has not been popular among the fans.
The 55-year-old has been out of work since leaving his role with England in 2006, and previously managed Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.
Casemiro’s international teammate with Brazil, Ederson, is believed to be United’s number one target in the summer.
The 26-year-old, who has appeared three times for his national team, currently plays with Atalanta in Italy’s Serie A and is seen as a near like-for-like replacement for Casemiro.
Aurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid is another name being touted for a move to Old Trafford, but prizing him away from the Spanish giants will not be easy – or cheap.
At 26, the midfielder already has 44 caps for France, scoring three goals. His Real and French teammate, Eduardo Camavinga, has also been mentioned, but the 23-year-old’s availability seems even less likely than that of Tchouameni.
There are already two names within the Premier that are being linked, in Carlos Baleba of Brighton or Cameroon, and Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest and England.
The proven track record in the same league often counts for a lot; both will carry a big price tag as a result.
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