Man Utd Approached by Manager Who Wants Michael Carrick's Job

· GiveMeSport

Antonio Conte has reportedly told Manchester United he's prepared to replace Michael Carrick.

Michael Carrick may have a fight on his hands to keep his Manchester United job and a possible replacement has reportedly informed the club that he's open to taking over at Old Trafford.

It has been a disastrous start to Carrick's first season as permanent head coach following his appointment back in May. A 2-0 defeat away to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday means his side are now winless in their last five games and have won just twice this campaign.

Carrick earned the role after guiding United to a third-placed finish last season while placed in charge on an interim basis. Many experienced managers had been considered before INEOS decided to hand him the job full-time.

Not only are issues growing on the pitch for Carrick, but also off of it, following an explosive interview from Lisandro Martinez after the defeat at the Metropolitano. The Argentine defender called out technical director Jason Wilcox while claiming that he didn't feel his coach had been backed enough in the summer transfer window.

Carrick hasn't indicated such problems regarding recruitment but speculation is growing over his future due to his team's poor form. One of the names being linked with the job is Antonio Conte, who has proven Premier League experience following spells in charge of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

According to talkSPORT, Conte's representatives have told United that the Italian 'would be interested in taking over' if Carrick is sacked. He's been out of work since June of this year after leaving Serie A giants Napoli.

During his time in Naples, Conte guided the Italian outfit to the Scudetto in the 2024-25 campaign, but his team finished second behind Inter Milan last season. He's a feisty character, the polar opposite to Carrick, who is calm and reserved, which raises question marks over him being a fit in the current United structure.

Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in January on a caretaker basis after the Portuguese coach fell out with Wilcox and felt he wasn't given enough control. Any coach appointed by INEOS now works under the director and is solely responsible for the team rather than influencing recruitment decisions.

Conte fuelled talk of a desire to take the reins at Old Trafford recently with comments about reestablishing one of Europe's biggest clubs as a top competitor. He said:

> "There are many clubs that have somewhat lost sight of their history. I'd like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once more."

Conte enjoyed success in England with Chelsea, winning the Premier League title in 2017 and the FA Cup a year later. He struggled to repeat such feats while at Tottenham Hotspur but has won trophies throughout his managerial career.

INEOS' recruitment has come under scrutiny since the start of the season, particularly because of defensive issues in Carrick's squad. Luke Shaw is the only recognised left-back and he has endured injury struggles, leading to the likes of Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui moving out of position.

United's priority during the summer was a midfield rebuild and three new midfielders arrived. Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos joined the Red Devils but Martinez echoed fan sentiment this week when he insisted that the squad wasn't strong enough.

If Conte were to replace Carrick, it seems he might find issue with the current transfer strategy that has led to problems at the back. During his Chelsea reign, he did accept that he didn't have much say in the transfer market but bemoaned his lack of influence:

> "The club decides every single player that comes here. Sometimes I can have an impact on this, sometimes you can’t have an impact. My first task is to do my job, to be a coach, to try to improve my players. For sure, I don’t have a big impact on the transfer market."

This policy is one that INEOS have implemented since taking over United's sporting operations. The change of the role 'manager' to 'head coach' is something Sir Jim Ratcliffe touched on while speaking on Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast in 2024 at the start of his co-ownership with the Glazers:

> "In the old days of Sir Alex Ferguson he was the manager. We don’t have managers today, we have a coach. And a coach would normally report to a sporting director and a sporting director would report to the chief executive."

He added:

> "Where do you put recruitment? Strategy? All that kind of stuff. You need to get your organisation right and then need to populate it with the people who are best in class.”

The Red Devils' boss is feeling the pressure just six games into the 2026/27 campaign.

United have yet to indicate that they intend to dismiss Carrick anytime soon despite his side's disappointing start to the season. INEOS handed him a two-year deal and if he were to be sacked this year, they'd be looking at a third managerial appointment in just two years.

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