Manchester United are yet to decide if Michael Carrick should be offered the manager’s position on a full-time base despite the upturn in form under his interim charge, with the club’s executive, led by Jason Wilcox, the director of football, intent on waiting until the end of the season before making a final decision.
While Carrick has publicly remained tight-lipped regarding becoming United’s manager beyond the current campaign it is understood he would be interested in doing so. The former midfielder has stated he is being consulted regarding potential summer transfer targets as well as United’s pre-season plans.
Carrick has impressed since replacing Ruben Amorim after the Portuguese’s sacking in early January. In a second spell in temporary charge of United, Carrick has won eight of 12 matches, losing two and drawing two. The 44-year-old’s return of 26 points from a possible 36 in the Premier League is the best in the division over that period, with Carrick lifting United from seventh to third and near shoo-ins for Champions League qualification.
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The solitary questionable performance under Carrick came in last week’s 2-1 home loss to Leeds, who previously had not won in the league at Old Trafford since 1981. With United 2-0 down at half-time Carrick was slow to react, waiting until the 70th minute to make changes.
Regarding other potential candidates for the manager’s role, Wilcox approached Thomas Tuchel two years ago to replace Erik ten Hagbefore the Dutchman was ultimately retained. The German recently agreed a contract extension with the Football Association until 2028 and only a disastrous World Cup campaign this summer might cause him to leave his position as England manager and subsequently allow United to reignite interest in his candidacy.
Julian Nagelsmann, Germany’s manager, is also of interest to United but he, too, is contracted until 2028 and it is believed United have not yet sounded out his camp regarding any interest in the role.
In regards to strengthening the squad this summer, Real Madrid’s Aurelian Tchouameni has been identified as a prime candidate to bolster United’s midfield. The 26-year-old would cost around £70m and is contracted until 2028. While there is no guarantee Real would sell the Frenchman, he is very much on United’s list, alongside Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.