*This content was translated by AI.
Manchester United, which has fallen into the worst slump, seems to have selected a new firefighter. Michael Carrick (44) has emerged as the next interim coach, beating Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (52), who was originally a strong candidate.
Britain's 'Sky Sports' said on the 12th (Korea Standard Time), "Manchester United is speeding up the process of appointing a new temporary coach. Both Carrick and Solskjaer have completed their meetings with the club's leadership and are set to make a final decision," the report said.
"Both candidates gave presentations in front of the team's management," the media said. "In particular, Carrick was particularly impressive to the management in the process."
The appointment of Manchester United's interim manager, led by technical director Jason Wilcox, will be completed ahead of the upcoming Manchester derby.
Putting together local reports, Carrick's appointment is a trend that only leaves an official announcement. On the same day, the British leading newspaper 'The Guardian' also said, "Carrick was ahead of Solskjaer after the interview with Manchester United. "I emerged as the No. 1 candidate for Manchester United's interim coach," he said.
The Guardian said, "The leaders of the club, including CEO Omar Verada and technical director Wilcox, have not made an official proposal yet, but internally, they are leaning toward Carrick," adding, "The management met with Carrick last Thursday and at Solskjaer and Carrington training sites on Saturday."
Previously, Solskjaer was mentioned as a strong candidate. Solskjaer took the helm of Manchester United as Jose Mourinho's successor in 2018 to finish second in the league and advance to the Europa League final in the 2020-2021 season. However, he was recently dismissed from Besiktas (Turkiye) for the first time in 29 games due to poor performance and the evaluation at this interview overlapped, and he seems to have been pushed back by Carrick.
Carrick, on the other hand, has proved his crisis management ability with two wins and one draw as an interim coach for three games since he was replaced by Solskjaer in 2021. He then led the team to the promotion playoffs in the 2022-2023 season by taking the helm of Middlesbrough, but lost in the semifinals and was later replaced in June last year due to a drop in performance.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville expressed concern about the situation, saying, "It's a history that repeats like watching a black hole in love in a movie," adding, "Both Solskjaer and Carrick are great people and love the club, but if the results are not good, they will be under tremendous pressure."
The reason why Manchester United is in such a hurry to find the head coach is because of the sudden replacement of head coach Hoobeng Amorim. Coach Amorim, who took office in November 2024, packed his bags on the 5th after a slump of only 25 wins in 14 months. In particular, after the draw against Leeds United, he publicly criticized the team's leadership, saying, "I want to work as a manager, not a coach."
Interim coach Darren Fletcher, who was put in to put out the urgent fire, put down the baton bitterly. "I haven't heard anything about my future at all," Fletcher told The Guardian after the FA Cup defeat (1-2) against Brighton and Hove Albion. "I'll have to go to the training ground tomorrow morning to find out," he said, "It was a huge responsibility to lead the team, but the result is disappointing."
With the elimination of the FA Cup, Manchester United suffered the humiliation of being eliminated in the first round of both the FA Cup and the League Cup for the first time since the 1981-1982 season. As a result, Manchester United will play only 40 official games this season. This is the fewest matches in 111 years.
Manchester United plans to appoint an official coach this summer after the season is over under the temporary manager system. Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner and Marcelo Roberto de Gervi are mentioned as the next candidates.
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*This content was translated by AI.
