Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe are expected to feature prominently in consideration over the Manchester United job if the club dismiss Michael Carrick, whilst a fourth name is “appreciated” by a United board member.
Carrick’s strong start has unravelled rapidly
Carrick initially returned as head coach in January, following Ruben Amorim’s departure, and earned a contract until 2028 after guiding United to third place with 11 victories from 16 matches.
The situation deteriorated sharply this season. Sunday’s draw at Leeds left United with seven points from seven Premier League fixtures and only one league win. It was followed by last night’s thumping 4-1 Champions League defeat at the hands of Serie A side Como.
The situation has changed at United
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the defeat, Fabrizio Romano said the situation at United has become untenable.
“So this is something not acceptable at all from Manchester United… [t]o lose 4-1 against Como for sure is absolutely humiliating,” he said.
“The real change between this game and the other games, it’s also in the players…[it] was Bruno Fernandes to go and speak and saying something about the staff. Is the staff deciding? Then he gave his own opinion, they don’t want to go man-to-man. Then Carrick replying and saying, we went man-to-man in the second half and that’s how we conceded.
“That interview was strong because we are talking about Bruno Fernandes. This is not a normal player… this is the player of Manchester United, the face of Manchester United.”
“For the very first time we have players at Manchester United not so happy with the current situation. And that’s something that we can consider as a big change compared to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 weeks ago.”
Next manager
The transfer guru then went on to discuss the likely candidates to replace Michael Carrick if he is sacked.
First, he ruled out Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.
“There have been several clubs over the last one or two years asking about Scaloni availability, and the answer was always no, Argentina, no, only Argentina, no, I want to stay with Argentina. And today Lionel Scaloni has decided to put pen to paper and to sign and stay as Argentina coach until the World Cup 2030.”
Romano then spoke about Antonio Conte.
“Antonio Conte would be ready this year to take a job mid-season, and that’s a big difference to what he always did, almost always in his career, apart from the Tottenham chance,” Romano said.
Yesterday, Talksport claimed that former Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has been “sounded out” for the United job, and Romano also name dropped the German.
“Nagelsmann is a coach that INEOS already considered in the past, but Nagelsmann was under contract, and so the decision of Nagelsmann was to continue with the German national team,” the expert explained. “Now he’s free, and so that’s a different situation.”
Romano then put forward two Premier League manager names.
“Hürzeler is doing fantastic at Brighton. Manchester United have someone on their board who really appreciates Fabian Hürzler, but that’s it at the moment. He’s completely focused on Brighton.
“And then, obviously Eddie Howe, free after leaving Newcastle, English coach, knows the league so well. Completely different character compared to Antonio Conte and all the others. So for sure more calm, more relaxed, already used to work in complicated situations.”
Fabregas unlikely
If last night’s resounding victory was a job interview for Como manager Cesc Fabregas, he passed it with flying colours. However, Romano does not think he would consider the move.
“When they were considering coaches [in the summer], Cesc Fabregas was really appreciated by Man United, but Fabregas was in any case not going to become the new United coach for one reason. Fabregas is completely involved in the Como project … so Fabregas was never gonna leave in summer 2026. He wanted to lead Como into Champions League football.”
Final Thoughts
- Lionel Scaloni and Cesc Fabregas highly unlikely to leave their current roles.
- Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe all serious candidates available immediately.
- Someone on the United board is championing a move for Fabio Hurzeler.
Featured image by Alexander Hassenstein via Getty Images
