Michael Carrick: Man Utd reach agreement with ex-midfielder to take over at Old Trafford until the summer
Michael Carrick has agreed to take over as Man Utd interim head coach until the summer; Steve Holland will be Carrick's No 2; Carrick's first game in charge set to be Manchester derby on Saturday, live on Sky Sports
Tuesday 13 January 2026 12:06, UK
Michael Carrick has reached a verbal agreement with Man Utd to become interim head coach until the end of the season.
Negotiations went on late on Monday night, Sky Sports News has been told, when all of the outstanding issues were ironed out.
Gareth Southgate's former England assistant coach Steve Holland will be Carrick's No 2, while ex-Boro assistant and Leeds player Jonathan Woodgate, current U21s coach Travis Binnion and Jonny Evans, who rejoined the club during Darren Fletcher's interim period, will also all form part of the backroom team.
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Fletcher, meanwhile, is expected to return to coaching United's U18s.
The contractual details are now being finalised by lawyers on both sides and Carrick could sign the paperwork later on Tuesday afternoon.
The former United midfielder arrived at Carrington training ground on Tuesday morning to meet with director of football Jason Wilcox.
Both sides are keen for the deal to be completed as soon as possible so that Carrick can begin preparing to take training on Wednesday, when the players are due back in for the run up to Saturday's lunchtime Manchester derby, live on Sky Sports,
How Carrick emerged as frontrunner for the role
Carrick had emerged as the frontrunner for the interim role after the club held discussions with both the former Middlesborough manager and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the departure of Ruben Amorim on January 5.
Sky Sports News understands the hierarchy at the club were impressed by Carrick's plans for the remainder of the season.
United only have the Premier League to focus on following their 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup on Sunday, which was overseen by caretaker boss Fletcher. Plans to appoint an interim head coach were accelerated following that defeat.
Carrick made 464 appearances for the club across his 12 years at Old Trafford, but remained there as part of Jose Mourinho's coaching staff when he retired in 2018.
After Mourinho was sacked in December of that year, Carrick was briefly named interim manager, before joining Solskjaer's backroom staff upon his arrival on an interim basis.
The duo, who were both in the running to temporarily succeed Ruben Amorim, then remained at the club permanently when Solskjaer was handed the role in March 2019.
The Norwegian coach was sacked in November 2021 and Carrick resumed the position of caretaker boss, going unbeaten in his three games at the helm with wins against Villarreal and Arsenal, as well as a point at Chelsea.
Carrick stepped down from his role and left the club when Ralf Rangnick arrived before then taking charge at Middlesbrough in October 2022.
Boro were 21st and one point above the relegation zone at the time of his appointment, but narrowly missed out on promotion after losing to Coventry City in the playoff semi-finals that year, after rising to a fourth-place finish.
Carrick then guided the team to eighth and 10th-place finishes in the following two seasons, leading to his departure in June 2025.
'Carrick could sign contract this afternoon'
Sky Sports News' Dan Khan at Old Trafford:
"Carrick could sign his contract as early as this afternoon. This is significant because Manchester United have 17 games left this season to fight for a Champions League place.
"United also met Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Saturday face-to-face. Ruud van Nistelrooy was another option. United were very impressed by Carrick in the process and decided to have further talks with him.
"Fletcher was offered to be part of Carrick's backroom staff, but chose to return to coaching the U18s after having a week as a caretaker and he can then focus on his own managerial career."
Carrick could excite and frustrate at Middlesbrough in equal measure
Sky Sports EFL Editor Simeon Gholam:
At first it was glorious for Michael Carrick and Middlesbrough.
Taking over in October 2022, with the club hovering just above the relegation zone, some scintillating, attacking football saw them career into the play-off places by the end of the season, where they eventually fell short in the semi-finals against Coventry.
Sadly, from then on, as key players moved on, he was unable to really replicate that early success. The football was still good, but the cutting edge was often lacking. Middlesbrough became known for dominating games and creating chance after chance, before eventually conspiring to drop points after falling foul to a counter-attack or a defensive error.
The goal was play-offs minimum, and Carrick would go on to miss that target in his next two campaigns, leading to him losing his job last summer. Steve Gibson is one of the most patient club owners in England, so it was a reluctant parting of ways between him and a very likeable figure he was desperate to succeed on Teesside.
He had his clear style of play, he wanted to dominate, attack and create chances. At their best throughout his entire tenure, Middlesbrough could be a dazzling watch. But too often the accusations of 'no Plan B' were rolled out when things were going wrong. If Boro weren't winning pretty, they weren't generally winning at all.
With the quality Manchester United have and the less rigorous nature of the Premier League - particularly considering their bare schedule for the rest of the season - it may well be a style that translates very well to Old Trafford.
What is Carrick's style?
Carrick predominantly deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation during his time at Middlesbrough, occasionally reverting to Sir Alex Ferguson's favoured 4-4-2 on six occasions - more than the five times he opted for a three-at-the-back system.
Under his management, Middlesbrough recorded league-leading numbers for high turnovers and fast breaks, while also ranking among the top sides for build-up attacks and direct attacks.
Given this, Carrick is likely to implement a 4-2-3-1 with an aggressive press, combining patient possession-based build-up with frequent switches to long passes and rapid transitions.
Your views...
Peter: Carrick was an outstanding player and a great personality. He has charisma and is a knowledgeable coach/manager. He will be able to steady the ship, but don't expect him to get his system working in just two weeks. I believe he can inspire the team to go on a run and qualify for the Champions League.
Nick Collins: I'll back Carrick, but I think Ole would have been the right choice. I understand his little time at Besiktas went against him, but he got a second and third-place finish at United last time, and wanted us to aim for European qualification by the end of this season.
Kevsej: A sensible interim appointment; a safe pair of hands that "knows the club"… but no matter how good it becomes, it's important we secure a more established permanent manager in the summer - preferably ahead of the World Cup to facilitate a proper pre-season. Alonso, anyone?
James: Right choice. Ole had an extended time at United and it didn't work. It wouldn't have been right to bring him back. Carrick now gets his extended stint to prove how good he is.
Have your say in our dedicated Man Utd blog.
Man Utd's next five fixtures
- January 17: Man City (H) - Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports
- January 25: Arsenal (A) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
- February 1: Fulham (H) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports
- February 7: Tottenham (H) - Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm
- February 10: West Ham (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8.15pm
