Who Replaces Michael Carrick? Manchester United's Next Manager, Style and Squad Fit
Updated November 10, 2026
Updated November 10, 2026
It looks like Michael Carrick's time is up at Manchester United. The Athletic reported this morning that senior staff want a replacement in place before the Red Devils visit Liverpool on November 22, even as the club insists nothing's been decided.
United are 18th with eight points from 10 games, one league win and no clean sheets. Sunday's 4-4 with Aston Villa still left them in the bottom three. Major outlets are reporting that the hierarchy wants the international break to review everything, but the shortlist is already taking shape.
So who could take the reins at Old Trafford? Here, I break down the most likely candidates, look into what they could cost, what they might need for the squad, and United would line up under each of the three leading candidates.
Fabrizio Romano named Mauricio Pochettino, Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann as United's main candidates on Monday. The club's football people seem split, with technical director Jason Wilcox reportedly favoring Howe and recruitment director Christopher Vivell rating Nagelsmann. Whoever gets it walks into a relegation fight with no transfer window until January.
United spent £148m on Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans this summer and sold Rasmus Hojlund to Napoli. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and United did need to reinforce their midfield in the summer, but the lack of defensive additions already looks an oversight.
Whoever steps in would be inheriting a squad beleaguered by injuries in this campaign. Benjamin Sesko, Baleba, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Manuel Ugarte are all out with no return date, which leaves Joshua Zirkzee, Mateus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo as the square pegs expected to fill the round hole at centre forward.
Patrick Dorgu is the only fit senior left-back in the suad, and the Dane has only just come back from his own hamstring injury.
Defending is the headline problem. United have conceded 19 league goals, five from set pieces, and no Premier League side gives up more goal involvements to opposing center-backs.
They've been passive without the ball too, and Bruno Fernandes said so after the 4-1 loss at Como. "You have to take the risk of pressing high," the captain said in a clear shot at Carrick's passive approach without the ball.
In attack, Bruno and Bryan Mbeumo are still United’s two biggest threats, first and second in the squad for both xG and xA.
Behind them, Kobbie Mainoo does most of the work moving the ball forward, with 53 progressive passes, more than double any other United central midfielder. Whoever comes in will look to build around those three.
Howe is the cheapest of the three candidates mentioned by Romano, and the one United's football structure seems most comfortable with.
He left Newcastle on July 31 to recharge after a successful five year stint, and compensation is reportedly around £3m, a snip in today's market.
How he'd play: A high-energy 4-3-3. His midfield three cover huge distances, the press is aggressive, and the team attacks fast through a mobile No. 9 with two wide forwards cutting in.
Squad fit: The summer midfield looks built for him. Baleba and Santos are natural runners, Mainoo gets freedom to carry the ball, Mbeumo fits on the right and Cunha could fulfil the Anthony Gordon role from the left. Sesko, once fit, is the closest thing here to Alexander Isak.
The tricky one is Bruno. Howe's system has no free No. 10, so the captain would probably play as a right-sided No. 8, a big running ask at 32. Tielemans, Mount and Maguire would likely lose out too.
What he'd need: A center-back with recovery pace, more speed on the left, and striker depth behind Sesko.
Rescue record: The best on this list. He took over Newcastle in November 2021 with the club 19th and winless, and they finished 11th. But Newcastle spent heavily that January, and United can't add anyone until the window opens.
Pochettino's the only candidate with a job, and The Standard reported this week that he'd moved to the front of the queue. He signed a USMNT deal through 2030 on August 3, though Romano says it includes a release clause.
How he'd play: A 4-2-3-1 with a high press, a line pushed up and attacking full-backs providing the width, the template of his Tottenham sides from 2015 to 2019.
Squad fit: The most natural of the three. Bruno gets the free No. 10 role Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli played for him at Spurs, and a coach who would implement the high pressing style the captain asked for after Como.
Mbeumo goes right, Cunha left or central, and Dalot and Dorgu push on. His record with young players suits Mainoo, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.
Maguire's the obvious loser, since he'd be defending a lot of space behind a high line. Zirkzee likes to drop in and link play, which isn't the front-line presser Pochettino builds around.
What he'd need: A quick center-back, a pressing No. 9 and a left-back.
Rescue record: He joined Southampton mid-season in January 2013 with the club 15th and kept them up comfortably. He's never inherited anything like an 18th-placed giant, though.
Nagelsmann is free and 39. He left Germany on July 3 after a round-of-32 penalty exit to Paraguay, and it's the first time he's been available since United started tracking him. A Bundesliga title with Bayern is on the CV, but so are early exits from Bayern and Germany.
How he'd play: The most ambitious of the three. A high press, constant rotations, often a back three in possession, and two No. 10s working the half-spaces, like Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz for Germany. He changes shape a lot, sometimes mid-game.
Squad fit: Bruno and Cunha are a ready-made double No. 10, and Cunha, who's at his best drifting into pockets, might stand to gain the most. Mainoo becomes the deep playmaker, with Baleba screening once he's fit. Nagelsmann coached Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui at Bayern, and Vivell's backing gives him an ally inside the club.
Maguire would find his system hardest, and Amad could get squeezed out wide. The bigger risk is time, because a relegation fight is a tough place for a major tactical overhaul, even if United do have recent experience of playing with a back three under Ruben Amorim.
What he'd need: A ball-playing center-back with pace, a striker who runs in behind, and an attacking left-back.
Rescue record: It's how he made his name. Hoffenheim hired him at 28 in February 2016, with the club 17th and seven points from safety. They stayed up, then finished fourth the next season.
Antonio Conte has been free since leaving Napoli in May, a year after winning Serie A. He'd bring a 3-4-2-1 the squad knows from the Amorim days, with Dorgu and Dalot as wing-backs and Bruno and Cunha as the two No. 10s. He took over Tottenham mid-season in 2021 and got them into the top four. The awkward bit is that Hojlund thrived under him at Napoli, and United sold him there this summer.
Sebastian Hoeness is under contract at Stuttgart until June 2028, so he'd cost compensation. His possession-heavy, counter-pressing style suits United's young midfield, and he pulled Stuttgart from the bottom of the Bundesliga to safety in 2023, then to second the next season.
Didier Deschamps left France after the World Cup and has reportedly been contacted. He'd be the pragmatic, defense-first pick, which cuts against the youth-led project United keep talking about.
Every candidate's first job is the same: stop conceding from set pieces and stop teams playing through the midfield.
After that, Pochettino offers the cleanest fit for Bruno, Howe makes best use of the summer signings, and Nagelsmann has the highest ceiling with the most risk. I don't think any of them fixes their defensive issues without spending in January.
All three want to defend higher up the pitch, and United only have the inconsistent Lenny Yoro as a fit centre-back option. Maguire is 33 and De Ligt has only just returned from back surgery. Whoever gets the job, his first January signing will probably be a defender.
