Five managers linked as potential successors to Michael Carrick amid Manchester United crisis

Manchester United were held to a draw by Aston Villa in a Premier League match as their worst-ever start to a Premier League season continued in the 2026-27 campaign, with the 20-time champions having won only one of their first ten league games. A late goal rescued the draw and left United facing what would have been their fifth league defeat of the season.

United now drop into the relegation zone for the next two weeks and the club will enter an international break before returning to action at the end of the month. The fixture schedule resumes with a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool, and the club could use the break to appoint a permanent successor to interim manager Michael Carrick, who has been afforded multiple opportunities to arrest the slide but whose future appears to rest with the board.

Unai Emery is frequently mentioned as a candidate and is reportedly well-liked by INEOS management, but persuading him to abandon his Aston Villa project would present a significant challenge. The article notes Emery’s prior spells at supposed "big clubs" did not work out at Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, and it adds that, despite being described as an ideal prospect by the source, United’s situation is markedly different from those previous roles.

Gareth Southgate is also named among potential replacements; the piece states INEOS may be long-time supporters of Southgate but might not want him appointed, while adding that Southgate has not held a post since leaving the Three Lions position in 2024. The report further observes that few managers would decline an approach from Manchester United if one were made.

Antonio Conte is listed as another option after comments in which he said he would like his next role to be at a "fallen titan of English football," a remark the article describes as essentially a come-and-get-me appeal. The write-up argues that persuading Conte would not be difficult given United’s decline, while warning that when Conte takes charge of clubs in the past, "things usually end horribly."

Julian Nagelsmann is identified as an unemployed candidate who was linked during the summer but was not pursued by United at that time because of his obligations with the German national team; since leaving Germany he is now rumoured to be among the runners and riders should the club decide to end the Carrick experiment during the international window. The piece frames Nagelsmann as a potential option contingent on United making a change.

Eddie Howe is described as the most probable choice among the unemployed applicants in the article, which notes rumours that INEOS rejected the idea of appointing Howe before giving Carrick another chance. Given what the piece calls dire circumstances and the possibility other Premier League clubs will soon be seeking new managers, it concludes United may feel compelled to contact Howe.

The five names identified as possible successors are Unai Emery, Gareth Southgate, Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe, and the report records that Manchester United sit 18th in the league table as they prepare to travel to Anfield at the end of the month.