Manchester United are proposing an initial offer to Michael Carrick for a two-year contract as head coach, with the option of an additional season to 2029.

Talks are now underway after co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave the go-ahead following an executive committee meeting this week where chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox made the recommendation for Carrick to get the job full-time.

Negotiations will continue, and although there is much to sort, there is a possibility a resolution can be found in time for United’s final home game of the season against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, so Carrick can sign off from Old Trafford with clarity and fans are assured of who will be in the dugout next season.

Carrick’s backroom staff are set to stay on, with assistant Steve Holland, who is seen as instrumental, and coaches Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion all in line for new deals. Craig Mawson, who was promoted to first-team goalkeeping coach from a deputy position upon Ruben Amorim’s departure, is also expected to continue in the senior role.

United will look to make additions to the team, with a set-piece coach on the agenda. It is anticipated Andreas Georgson, who was popular at United during the 2024-25 campaign, could be a contender to return. Georgson is currently at Tottenham Hotspur, having joined Thomas Frank’s staff last summer and stayed on.

Carrick, Berrada, and Wilcox were all at Manchester City’s Joie Stadium on Thursday night as United’s under-18s lost the FA Youth Cup final 2-1 to their local rivals.

At his press conference on Friday afternoon, Carrick did not directly address his future at the club when asked.

“There’s two games to go, apart from that there’s not much else to say,” he said. “The situation is pretty clear for us all. Same as in preparing for the game.

“It’s a unique football club, a special club. Immensely proud to have come back and been a part of it, as a supporter and ex-player, as a pure supporter to be in a position to come back and help and move forward was important. To make a big step, and back in the Champions League is good, we’re happy with the work we’ve done so far.

“The future for me is going to be decided pretty soon, we knew that. Nothing has changed, there is no big swing on that.”

A logical move for United

It is good news that Ratcliffe has, as expected, ratified the call made by United’s football leaders to select Carrick as the team’s permanent head coach. He earned the chance through his work since January, both on and off the pitch, while his caretaker spell in 2021 is also worth considering. Twice he has steadied United in times of turmoil.

The question is whether he can now turn United into title challengers — and nobody yet knows the answer because his only other job in management came at Middlesbrough.

United considered the options, and made proper checks. In a different scenario, were the World Cup not on or Luis Enrique available, they might have gone for an outside appointment.

That is a factor in the ongoing negotiations. An initial two-year contract is a campaign shorter than most clubs would offer but is similar to Amorim’s deal, which ran to 2027 when signed in November 2024.

Amorim had an optional extra year, although it never came into the reckoning. United would inevitably be happy to trigger any such Carrick’s deal if it is agreed and he succeeds. That would bring him in line with Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola, who both signed three-year deals most recently.

Carrick has been aided by his coaches to this point, so it is right they should stay with him if they wish. Holland, in particular, is seen as having significant influence.

The desire to add a set-piece coach shows that evolution is part of the equation.