Who Should Man United's Next Manager Actually Be?

Who should replace Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager? Well, who saw this coming? Turns out Michael Carrick is not quite up to standard to be in the Old Trafford dugout permanently. I for one am shocked by that. Joking aside, he was brilliant at the back end of last season and left the hierarchy with no choice really but to give him a shot as the Man United manager proper. Unfortunately for him, it's not really worked out. Despite still evidently being a popular man amongst the fans, the writing is on the wall. So here we are again. Who should replace the former United player as manager and how many times will we repeat that sentence in the next few years? We've ranked the top five options. Let's have it. Number five, Kieran McKenna, the protégé. McKenna is out of work after choosing to leave Ipswich at the end of last season where he guided them back to the Premier League following relegation. He is a legend in that part of the world and his stock was sky high in 2024 when both Chelsea and Brighton tried to nab him from the Tractor Boys before the start of that season. He got that role after being assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford. Many United fans attribute large portions of the relative Oli To McKenna, an undoubted tactician and a manager who is destined for a big job at some point. Could the time be now? He knows the club is ready to go now and has a very high ceiling. But there's a few reasons why he is so low down. Firstly, being destined for a big job at some point and taking the Man United job in their current situation, having just left Ipswich are very different things. This is not an easy role. It is an unbalanced squad who have lost all goodwill with the fans. It's October, no pre-season, no transfer window, no depth and no time to work with the players because you're playing twice a week. This is a massive step up and McKenna will be aware that taking this job comes with huge risks. Secondly, any Premier League club that wants to hire McKenna this season will, reportedly, need to give Ipswich a whopping £8 million. In this era of Ineos austerity, are they really going to be willing to pay that much for a manager of McKenna's standing When there are far better options out. out there who don't have this catch. I'm fascinated to see where he ends up this season. Any manager who built a special project at a club will want to prove it wasn't a one-off. This, however, is not McKenna's opportunity to do that. Number four, Unai Emery, the man who has it all to lose. This is not my first rodeo, okay? Villa fans, I am aware that Emery is highly unlikely to want to make this move. He has everything he could possibly want at Villa. Total control, Champions League football, a home where he is worshipped. It would take an unbelievable opportunity to pry him out of the Midlands and the most likely exit route for Emery will just be him deciding that he's bored and doesn't want to do his job anymore. This new era of exciting young talent at Villa Park would be a bizarre time to leave but this is Manchester United Football Club. It is a massive job even if they are not the team they once were. United are undoubtedly a bigger club than Villa and every manager who has an ego will think maybe I can be the one to get them out of this slump. I have no doubt Emery would back himself to do it. He's a versatile manager who is excellent at squeezing the best out of his players. He took Villa from a dire situation in the relegation zone and, over a period of years, turned them into European regulars and won the Europa League. He is unbelievably experienced at the top level and has managed Arsenal and PSG. There is still a cloud over those 10 years though. Emery failed at Arsenal and he did okay at PSG but only really won the league and was the manager for the Remontada against Barcelona. There is serious doubt over Emery's pedigree at the absolute highest level. He will be desperate to get rid of that though and restoring United to their former glory would put him in a new category of managers whether Villa fans like that or not. He becomes unanimously viewed as a truly He's a truly elite manager who sits at the top table. He doesn't currently have that status. Would the job he did in Paris or in London put United off? To be honest, it shouldn't. United are not those guys anymore. But the ball won't be in Jason Wilcox's court on this particular link anyway. If Emery wants the job, he'll get the job. The biggest doubt is whether he does. I personally can't see it. But it's still worth exploring. Number three, Eddie Howe, the current favourite, ready to make the step up. The former Newcastle manager is hotly tipped to replace Carrick. And you can see why. He was brilliant at both Newcastle and Bournemouth. He left Newcastle of his own accord and is clearly ready to go to the next level, which Manchester United is. Again, like Emery, he took a club from the depths to European football and trophies. He did it playing high-octane football at times. And the pressure of being Newcastle manager shouldn't be underestimated. He's available. He wants the job. And he is a realistic hire... He has lots of Premier League experience, but there is just something about him that I can't see at Old Trafford. He dealt with a lot as Newcastle manager. Bombardments from the press about the owners, players going on strike, fan revolts, the lot. Whilst he didn't exactly wilt in the face of this adversity, I wouldn't describe him as a leader or the face of the club or charismatic. In fact, his assistant, Jason Tindall, often was the one who garnered attention and even love from the Newcastle fans. Of course, charisma doesn't make you a good manager, just like not having it doesn't make you a bad one. But managing United is not just about managing football matches. It's managing the biggest fan base in the world, a lot of egos in the squad, an inexperienced board and more media questions than any other club gets. Howe was eventually ground down at Newcastle by the stress of the role. How long would it take the same to happen to him at Man United? He is somewhere between Emery and McKenna on the manager scale. He lacks Emery's European CV, but is a manager who has proved his worth at all levels, unlike McKenna. To me, it would feel like an underwhelming hire as a neutral, but I'm perhaps guilty of underestimating Eddie Howe. I don't really know what his next role should be. He's above Everton, Villa, the 3Bs, but he feels below the big six. Maybe United is the perfect role for him. Before we carry on, a quick word from today's sponsor, Norton VPN. 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He's already taken over a floundering, underperforming English giant and turned them into champions in less than a year in Chelsea in 2016-17. He has undoubted calibre and would be a statement hire for Man United. There is no real question about his methods or ability. Sure, his style can be a little turgid at times. But are Man United really in a position to complain about that? How important is style out of Trafford when you have a serial winner like Conte who, based on some recent quotes, would love to become the manager? The main red flag that I see is the long-term vision. Man United are a mess from top to bottom. That needs fixing, arguably more than they need to win something in the short term. Conte has developed a reputation for being a fiery affair of a manager. Brilliant for a couple of years, an explosive breakup, Back to square one. How much would the Red Devils really benefit from that? Would they accept a cup and a title charge over the next few years if it meant they were back here again in 2029? I don't know. Maybe they would. But it feels like a good time to really invest in a project. United have tried a few of these short-term fixes since Fergie left in Mourinho and Van Gaal and both ended in tears. Elite managers will not put up with the antics at United for long, especially if their brief is to come in and do something now rather than build a project. Conte would undoubtedly add a huge fear factor back to Man United. He would walk into the league and be a top three manager in it. at the absolute minimum. He would be a serious hire. But for me, there is only one man who ticks every box. Number one, Julian Nagelsmann, the perfect fit. Nagelsmann was and maybe still is one of the best managerial prospects ever. He guided Hoffenheim from the relegation zone to Champions League qualification in the space of a year before he even turned 30. He's managed Leipzig, Bayern and Germany since. Sure, those jobs had varying degrees of success, but the now Now 39 year old has vast experience at the highest level for someone of his age He is very flexible tactically, sometimes to his own detriment, meaning he offers United a short-term solution with their muddled squad, as well as a long-term one. He may not have the CV of Conte or even Emery, but Nagelsmann going to Old Trafford would tell us a lot about their mindset. They have an elite manager and they plan on backing him. Nagelsmann could conceivably be United's Arteta. He is young enough to stick around for years and years and certainly good enough to guide United to the pinnacle of English football again. Whilst the other names on the list feel short term or like... Stepping stones before reaching the best managers? Nagelsmann is already in that category. He has been sought after by the best clubs in the world over the last few years. Similar to Man Utd, he has a point to prove. His time at Bayern was disappointing and his World Cup with Germany was a disaster. Although, to be fair, international management and club management are very different beasts. But this is a coach with an enormous ceiling, with the confidence and the swagger to match and an appetite for pressure. He is the only manager on this list I can really see United winning league titles with over a period of years. That should be the standard. United need a rebuild. They need a long-term project with big potential. Nagelsmann should be their man.