According to a report in The Athletic, Manchester United will interview both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick for the role of interim manager. To be clear, this is for the job of longer-term interim manager (i.e. until the end of the season), with whomever gets the gig set to take over for the current interim boss, who is also the U18s head coach, Darren Fletcher.
Solskjaer and Carrick will have their meetings over the course of Thursday and Friday.
FA Cup 3rd Round FYIs
Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Kickoff: Sun. Jan 11, 4:30pm
Manchester United Managerial Candidates: go here
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
In the mean time, Fletcher will be in charge again for the FA Cup 3rd round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion at home this Sunday.
Fletcher, managing his first game in place of Ruben Amorim, who was sacked on Monday, confirmed as much earlier today.
“They’ve [the executive] informed me they’d like me to take the team for Sunday,” Fletcher told the media after the 2-2 draw with Burnley FC.
“There was a feeling that might have been the case from Monday [when Ruben Amorim was sacked], but we wanted to focus on Burnley.
“But yeah, I’m tasked with leading the team on Sunday, so all my focus and energy goes to that now.”
According to The Guardian, Solskjaer is a slight favorite over Carrick to get the position, which would run until the end of the season. And then a full time/regular manager would be selected in the summer.
Their report goes on to state that Carrick could end up being an assistant under Solskjaer if he gets hired again here for this role. Both Carrick and Solskjaer played at United, and have previously served as caretaker managers.
Solskjaer also has experience at United as a permanent manager.
Another former player, with experience as a United caretaker manager, Ruud van Nistelroy, is also being considered for the open position.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.