Manchester United are replacing Ruben Amorim on an interim basis until the end of this season, and several former players are in contention to take charge at Old Trafford
07:27, 07 Jan 2026Updated 09:37, 07 Jan 2026
Ruud van Nistelrooy is OUT of the running to take interim charge at Manchester United until the end of the season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick now remain as the top two candidates to take over.
United’s chief executive, Omar Berrada, and director of football, Jason Wilcox, spoke to both contenders on Tuesday. They will now meet with each of them again before deciding which of the pair will return to Old Trafford. Darren Fletcher is currently in situ in a caretaker role.
Carrick is receiving serious consideration, having previously been interim boss and done a decent job in his first permanent role at Middlesbrough. Solskjaer, however, emerged as the leading contender after being spotted in Cheshire on Tuesday.
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Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are in contention to take over at Manchester United(Image: PA)
Both have previously taken charge of the team in similar circumstances. Solskjaer did so in December 2018 after United sacked Jose Mourinho and won his first eight matches across all competitions.
The Norwegian manager then signed a three-year contract three months into his return. His tenure ended in November 2021, and his sacking led Carrick to take charge of three matches.
United appointed Ralf Rangnick for the remainder of the season, rather than retaining their former player. Carrick soon left his role as first-team coach under the German coach.
His managerial career continued the following year after being appointed by Middlesbrough. After two-and-a-half seasons with the Championship club, they parted company last summer.
Michael Carrick assisted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United(Image: Getty Images)
Van Nistelrooy vacated his most recent position weeks later after leaving Leicester City by mutual consent following their relegation from the Premier League. The legendary striker also spent just over a year coaching PSV in the Netherlands, winning the Dutch Cup, having previously worked in their academy.
He then returned to United as an assistant coach under Erik ten Hag in the summer of 2024. Following his compatriot’s departure mere months later, he was at the helm for three matches before Ruben Amorim’s arrival. However, he won’t be offered the opportunity to go again at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer is the most recently employed of the three, having taken charge of Besiktas in January last year. However, the Turkish team sacked him earlier this season after losing in the Conference League qualifiers. United’s treble-winning striker has the most managerial experience among their options, having taken charge of over 200 matches across two spells at Molde in Norway, as well as a brief stint with Cardiff City during their sole season in the Premier League.
Darren Fletcher will manage his first match on Wednesday when United are away at Burnley. Speaking before the game, he explained: “I’ve had a conversation [about the future] and the focus was on this game. I’ve got a game to prepare for, a training session to organise, and I’ve been speaking to the players. The focus has been on the Burnley match, and we’ll speak after the game.”
United then face Brighton in the third round of the FA Cup this weekend, for which the Scotsman is likely to remain in charge. Carrick or Solskjaer’s first match back at Old Trafford looks set to be the Manchester derby against City.
The games do not get any easier for Man United and their potential interim boss. Their final fixture of January is a trip to league leaders Arsenal.