Amid growing pressure on Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim, club shot-callers reportedly already know who they’d bring on in the event of the head coach’s departure.
Manchester United have opened the season with only two wins from seven matches across all competitions, those coming narrowly against Chelsea and Burnley.
Rúben Amorim’s side needed an early red card in one and a stoppage-time penalty in the other to edge past their opponents, underlining their ongoing struggles.
After last year’s dismal campaign, United were eager to build early momentum, but their performances have fallen well below expectations.
A 3-1 defeat at Brentford last time out has only deepened concerns and added to the mounting pressure on Amorim.
Carrick identified as potential interim manager
After a poor start to the season, it’s natural that talks have started around who could replace Amorim at Old Trafford, despite Ineos reportedly still backing the Portuguese coach.
As reported by United In Focus, United’s shot-callers, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS delegation, have already identified Michael Carrick as a potential interim if Amorim is sacked.
The former United midfielder already has experience as the caretaker manager, taking over after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in 2021, and is currently out of a job after two and a half seasons in charge at Championship side Middlesbrough.
Despite a very small sample size, Carrick had a 66% win rate at his former side, winning two of the three games he oversaw, compared to Amorim’s 39% win rate, which came out victorious in 19 of his 49 games.
Amorim may be saved by a lack of exciting targets
If United were to ultimately sack Amorim, there is no clear, outstanding, realistic target that would bring excitement to the Old Trafford faithful.
While names such as Unai Emery, Oliver Glasner, and Andoni Iraola have been rumoured, Gareth Southgate has recently emerged as the potential frontrunner, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe having had direct contact with him.
Read More: When Manchester United could sack Ruben Amorim as Gareth Southgate lined up as potential replacement
Following United’s 3-1 loss to Brentford, Joe Cole spoke about how, in his opinion, the former England manager was the ‘perfect’ choice to replace Erik ten Hag, owing to his man-management skills, in hopes of raising morale in the United dressing room.
Southgate has been out of club management for over 15 years now, and there is no guarantee that current Premier League managers linked with the club will be able to cope with the pressure.
There is also the question of whether it’s worth taking such a big risk by leaving their current club to undertake the seemingly insurmountable task of turning things around at Old Trafford.
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