Manchester United are searching for their next permanent head coach, following Rúben Amorim’s sacking at the start of January.
Rúben Amorim was sacked from his position as Manchester United head coach following claims in the post-match press conference of the 1-1 draw with Leeds United that he was the manager of the club.
In his place, Darren Fletcher stepped away from his role as Under-18s manager and led the senior side for two outings: a 2-2 draw against Burnley in the Premier League and a 2-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion in the third round of the FA Cup.
Back to present day, Fletcher has returned to the U18s with his side set to play Sunderland in the FA Youth Cup at Old Trafford, and Michael Carrick has replaced him as senior head coach until the end of the season, or that is how it started, at least.
Carrick narrowly beat out his former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær – Carrick assisted the Norwegian with Kieran McKenna and Mike Phelan – but has been nothing short of exceptional since then. In his second stint as United head coach, Carrick has won five of his first six games, and he remains unbeaten as United could leapfrog Aston Villa for third place in the Premier League.
Carrick was only expected to be the head coach until the end of the campaign, but the lack of suitable replacements could see him stay at the club longer, especially after the most recent blow.
Iraola to stay at Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola is one of the many managers to be linked with the full-time position at Old Trafford for next season. The Spaniard has impressed with his exciting style of football at AFC Bournemouth.
He was some fans’ favourite to take charge of United, but that excitement must now be put to an end, following transfer specialist Pete O’Rourke’s comments on the latest Transfer Insider Podcast.
“I think there’s growing optimism from Bournemouth that they can persuade Iraola to stay at the club,” he said.
“Obviously, he is out of contract at the end of the season, and there will be a number of clubs that are looking at his situation, not just in the Premier League but also overseas, especially in his native Spain.
“Bournemouth are happy with what Iraola is doing there. They’ve obviously backed him with some big-name signings in the January window, having sold Antoine Semenyo.
“They’re in the European places for the first time in their history, which would be a huge achievement by everyone at the club and Iraola. He is a very highly respected manager.”
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Carrick must impress against Palace
With Iraola seemingly out of the running, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox must look at other options for the next permanent head coach of Manchester United – one of which, of course, is Michael Carrick.
Since he returned to the club, Carrick has impressed fans and pundits alike, but has struggled against more defensive sides, with just one goal against Everton and West Ham, and a draw in the latter fixture.
While Crystal Palace don’t play as defensively as the two previously mentioned, they can play a solid block, forcing teams to attempt to break them down, often with very little success.
Carrick must impress with a win against Palace to show that he can break down a defensive side, while also picking up wins under pressure, following Aston Villa’s loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday evening.
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