According to reports, Manchester United have now ‘offered’ the permanent manager’s job to current interim boss Michael Carrick.
Carrick has been in the dugout at Old Trafford since replacing former boss Ruben Amorim.
Initially, Man Utd‘s hierarchy only intended to have Carrick in charge until the summer, at which point they planned to bring in an elite boss to oversee a long-term project.
However, Carrick has worked wonders in recent months and forced INEOS into a rethink, having won ten of his 15 games in charge to seal Champions League qualification.
United have been linked with a wide array of alternatives, but it has been reported in recent weeks that Carrick has emerged as the frontrunner to be their next permanent manager.
Most recently, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been mooted as a leading alternative to Carrick, but The Daily Mail reported on Monday evening that the Red Devils are no longer considering a move for the Spaniard.
The report stated:
‘Iraola is leaving Bournemouth and it is believed that he would have been among the leading contenders if United decide against keeping Carrick. But Confidential understands the 43-year-old is no longer under consideration, leaving him free to discuss the managerial vacancies at Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
‘It looks as though Carrick has done enough to stay in charge after guiding United back into the Champions League. The 44-year-old is set to be rewarded with a new contract along with his backroom staff of Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion.’
Now, Sky Sports are reporting that the Premier League giants are ‘ready to open talks’ with Carrick over becoming their next permanent manager, adding: ‘United’s bosses have not completely ruled out the possibility of someone else taking charge for next season, and they have reached out to other possible candidates, but the club hierarchy has decided Carrick is the man they want to talk to first.’
The Athletic, meanwhile, have stated that ‘Man Utd executives will recommend Carrick’s appointment’ in a ‘meeting’ with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and this ‘decision will pave the way’ for them to ‘open talks’ with the interim boss.
Carrick appointment hinges on several ‘requests’ from Man Utd
A report from an insider on X with over 700k followers has gone further, having claimed that the Red Devils have ‘offered’ the permanent manager’s job to Carrick.
However, it is noted that an agreement hinges on several ‘requests’.
They said on X: ‘Exclusive: Michael Carrick has been offered the Manchester United manager job, but he’s still weighing his options.
‘It turns out there are a few requests from the club that he needs to consider before saying yes.
‘One big thing is that the transfers will be handled by a separate team, which means Carrick won’t have the final say on player signings.
‘Plus, there are some clauses in the contract that need to be ironed out which has been requested by the club.’