Next Man Utd manager: slim pickings if Carrick can’t spark Red Devils

Manchester United’s opening-day defeat to Hull was dispiriting enough to already consider the alternatives to Michael Carrick. Of which there are few…

Despite a fresh midfield, the Red Devils were desperately poor against last season’s sixth-placed finishers in the Championship.

Of course, there is no immediate threat to Carrick’s job but the newly-appointed permanent boss is under pressure to prompt a swift and sustainable improvement.

If not, United might find themselves on the look out for another new manager.

If they do, according to the bookies, these are the 10 favourites…

10) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Solskajer is to these lists what Phil Neville will always be to the England Ladder.

The United legend has already been hired, fired and rejected again by the Red Devils. Leave it there, lads.

9) Mauricio Pochettino The ex-Spurs manager has agreed to stay with the United States until the next World Cup after a somewhat underwhelming tournament as hosts. We’re not convinced it is the right decision.

But it does, probably, rule Pochettino out of the running if Carrick can’t kickstart United to compete towards the top of the table by the end of the year.

8) Fabian Hurzeler Hurzeler is doing some fine work at Brighton but the United job is not one for a 33-year-old – certainly not least until the barnet refurb kicks in.

With so much time ahead of him, there is another step to be taken – assuming he can’t prove all the necessary credentials at Brighton – before he can be considered for the really big gigs.

7) Carlo Ancelotti Ancelotti is one of the few men with the necessary experience, nous and temperament to really lead United.

But he already has a job with Brazil and a contract for four more years. If there were doubts over his future in the wake of the World Cup, turning down the Italy job to continue with Brazil surely put them to bed.

6) Darren Fletcher Managing the first-team is rather different to coaching the Under-18s, as Fletcher discovered during his brief spell at the helm between Ruben Amorim and Carrick in January.

Fletcher probably has a job for life at United if he keeps his head down, and we doubt his sons would be buzzing at the prospect of being coached full-time by their old man. They get enough grief as it is.

5) Sir Gareth Southgate Sir Gareth has been linked with the United job for so long now, it’s only habit that keeps him in these lists.

We doubt Southgate will ever return to management; he seems to be enjoying the corporate lifestyle, and delivering speeches to the LinkedIn lot sure is easier than ringleading the United circus.

4) Kieran McKenna McKenna is as high as he is purely on the basis of having worked at Old Trafford before as a coach under Solskjaer. And he didn’t inspire many then.

Getting Ipswich promoted is certainly commendable, but no qualification for the United job.

3) Thomas Tuchel Tuchel retains the faith of the FA but he has a job on to win back the trust of the England fans after the meek manner of their World Cup exit.

So the next two international breaks, during which England play six times, are crucial. If the Three Lions flounder – two of there games are against world champions Spain – the pressure on the FA will continue to build, perhaps making Tuchel available for a club reeling from a ropey start.

2) Julian Nagelsmann The ex-Germany coach was fired after underachieving at the World Cup but there was more to that than just poor coaching.

The feeling with Nagelsmann was that he was always looking to get back into the club game and he’ll be ready and refreshed after a few months away.

1) Eddie Howe The ex-Newcastle boss is perfectly primed should one of the big boys – probably United or Spurs – panic after an underachieving start to the season.

Howe seems very much up INEOS’s street, with a proven record of getting the best out of players while being inoffensive enough to rarely, if ever, rock the boat.

United could be a good fit for Howe, but so too might his boyhood club Everton when they inevitably cast their eye away from David Moyes.

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