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Manchester United appointed Michael Carrick as their permanent head coach after he steered them back into the Champions League last season in his second spell in temporary charge.
Man United have lost two of their three matches in the league phase of the Champions League, beating only Sabah in Europe and Ipswich Town in the Premier League so far this season.
After just 153 days, Carrick appears to be heading towards the Old Trafford exit. He was openly criticised by captain Bruno Fernandes after United lost 4-1 to Como on Wednesday, and the escalating problems suggest that Carrick is closer to the end than the beginning of the end.
Next Manchester United manager odds
United being United, there’s every chance the club’s decision-makers opt for a long-term project option before pulling the trigger again to bring in another former player. What’s inevitable is that there will still be serious candidates for one of the biggest jobs in the game.
There are significant names littering the next Manchester United manager odds, with Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney both available at 100/1 along with former Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag.
Eddie Howe is the favourite after leaving Newcastle United in the summer after nearly five full seasons in charge at St James’ Park. Howe led the Magpies to their first major trophy for 70 years and took them into the Champions League twice, but would be regarded mostly as a steady hand should he take up the Man United challenge.
Former Germany and Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is available at odds of around 4/1, while Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler and Premier League alumnus Antonio Conte are both rated around 6/1.
The Red Devils’ latest conqueror is next on the list at 11/1. Cesc Fabregas has been Como’s head coach since 2024 but didn’t exactly have to hit the heights to get the better of United on Wednesday.
Kieran McKenna, a familiar face at Old Trafford and once a favourite to be appointed as United manager, is listed at 14/1 along with Aston Villa manager Unai Emery and England boss Thomas Tuchel, both of whom are a little stingily priced by comparison.
Gareth Southgate at 16/1 is next, followed by Mauricio Pochettino, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Carlo Ancelotti at 25/1.
Carrick’s immediate predecessor as caretaker, former United midfielder Darren Fletcher, is the second-favourite among ex-players at 33/1.
It doesn’t take much imagination to understand that United’s problems run deeper than the manager’s office, whatever happens to Carrick this week and beyond. The process of appointing a successor is as likely to be a product of disarray as an answer to it.
For now, Carrick is still in place. United face Bournemouth and Chelsea in their next two Premier League matches. Given the intensity of the situation, one suspects he’ll do well to still be in the dugout when they welcome Roma in the Champions League at the start of November.
