Manchester United sacked Ruben Amorim in January and saw a swift turnaround under interim manager Michael Carrick, qualifying comfortably for the UEFA Champions League and finishing third. Last summer signings Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, goalkeeper Senne Lammens and, to a lesser degree, Benjamin Sesko all contributed, while midfielder Kobbie Mainoo became key under Carrick and received a new contract. Questions over ownership remain — both the Glazers and Jim Ratcliffe are broadly unpopular — yet there is a sense of cautious optimism around the club.
Carrick’s interim deal expires at the end of the season, and sporting director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada have reportedly recommended making his post permanent. The analysis argued United needed a proven coach with Premier League- or Champions League-winning experience and tactical ability for big games, and asked why Carrick, who does not possess those credentials, became the favoured choice.
Mark Ogden judged Carrick a realistic appointment, saying the interim manager overachieved by steering United into the Champions League and has been a good representative of the club, while noting doubts about his long-term suitability. Gab Marcotti questioned the initial search criteria as too narrow, pointing out that nine managers have won either the Premier League or Champions League in the past 10 years and that several potential candidates were contractually unavailable or otherwise impractical options.
United have reportedly told people their managerial search was “exhaustive,” a claim the writers questioned given the inability to speak to those under contract. The analysis noted that, when removing managers already committed to other jobs or otherwise unavailable, the pool of realistic, proven candidates was limited.
Several first-team contracts run until June 2027: Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martínez, Harry Maguire, Altay Bayindir and Luke Shaw. All except Shaw have club options to extend through 2028. Mark Ogden said Fernandes should be the priority for a new deal, called for Bayindir to move on and suggested the others must prove they deserve extensions, citing Maguire’s resurgence, Shaw’s recent form and Martínez’s need to stay fit.
Gab Marcotti agreed with most of those assessments but differed on Fernandes, arguing there is no immediate danger of losing him, the club can protect itself with a one-year option and his age — 32 in September — reduces the urgency of a long-term extension. This piece is the second in the Keep or Dump series examining summer transfer-window decisions for Europe’s biggest clubs.
