Carrick confirmed as Man Utd caretaker head coach

Manchester United have appointed former player Michael Carrick as their caretaker head coach until the end of the season.

Carrick will be assisted by former England number two Steve Holland, with Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion also part of his staff.

Former United midfielder Carrick, 44, had a three-game stint as United’s temporary boss after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal in 2021.

He will be back in the Old Trafford dugout for Saturday’s Premier League derby against Manchester City.

United sacked Ruben Amorim on 5 January after 14 months in charge, and Darren Fletcher took charge as caretaker boss for two matches.

Carrick held face-to-face talks with United officials last Thursday and is understood to have impressed chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox with his vision for the team.

He is set to play a 4-2-3-1 formation – a move away from the three-at-the-back set-up employed by Amorim.

Norwegian Solskjaer, who has played for and managed United, also held talks with the club about the vacancy.

But Carrick has been chosen as he is more of a hands-on coach than Solskjaer.

Fletcher, who took charge of the games against Burnley and Brighton immediately after Amorim’s exit, will return to the under-18s.

United view him as a key part of their coaching staff moving forward but it was mutually agreed a return to the under-18s is best to continue his development.

Holland worked under Gareth Southgate when England finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup and were runners-up at Euro 2021 and 2024.

He spent several years with Chelsea, where he had major success under a number of managers.

The 55-year-old was sacked as manager of Japanese club Yokohama F Marinos in April after only four months in charge.

Woodgate worked under Carrick at Middlesbrough and was a team-mate of Wilcox at Leeds. He managed Boro between 2019 and 2020, and had a short spell as Bournemouth manager in 2021.

Former United defender Evans returns to Old Trafford, while Binnion was already part of the club’s coaching staff.

The feeling that Carrick arguably provides greater hands-on coaching expertise than Solskjaer was at the heart of why United decided to take the path they have.

Both candidates impressed during talks, and both made absolutely clear their interest in replacing Amorim was in order to help a club they hold so dearly to their hearts out of its current difficulties.

The potential for Solskjaer to again inspire a squad so clearly in need of a pick-me-up – as he did when he initially replaced Jose Mourinho on an interim basis in 2018 – was a key consideration for United chiefs.

But the sense that coaching was at the heart of Carrick’s appointment ultimately became one of the overriding factors behind the decision.

Carrick – during his relatively short managerial career – has developed a reputation as one of Britain’s most adept young coaches.

Intriguingly, it also has not gone unnoticed by United chiefs that at Middlesbrough he oversaw a transition from a three-at-the-back system deployed by predecessor Chris Wilder to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

He is expected to make the same tactical transition at Old Trafford, with Carrick set to move away from Amorim’s 3-4-3 system to a formation far more aligned with United’s traditions.

And while Solskjaer’s initial success in shaking players out of their malaise in the 2018-19 season was a factor, it is also acknowledged that much of the coaching during his reign was completed by Carrick and Kieran McKenna, who were his assistants.

In a very difficult situation, Manchester United feel they have emerged with the right coaching blend to take them through to the end of the season.

Holland is the big name – and the surprise. His vast experience, most recently with England, will provide a cool head and knowledge and expertise of operating in a vast goldfish bowl, when everyone has an opinion on the work you are doing.

Evans has minimal coaching experience but until last summer had been part of the United dressing room for two years. He knows Carrick very well but, more to the point, knows virtually all the players in the dressing room.

Binnion has huge experience within United. He knows the players who have come through the academy – Kobbie Mainoo to start with, but Shea Lacey, Jack Fletcher and beyond. He is also very highly rated as a coach in his own right.

Woodgate worked with Carrick at Middlesbrough, where they got on very well. He has the added advantage of being able to speak Spanish, which will be a benefit in a dressing room full of internationals. His experience at Real Madrid means, like Holland, he understands the demands created by having to work under intense scrutiny.