Man Utd club legend 'emerges as Ruben Amorim back-up option' amid sack talk

Michael Carrick could be an option to step in at Manchester United on an interim basis should the club decide to sack Ruben Amorim and seek a new manager in the coming weeks.

The pressure and scrutiny on Amorim, 40, continues to grow after another disappointing result at the weekend with United falling to a 3-1 defeat away at Brentford. That result has only intensified talk of Amorim's torrid Premier League record since taking over at Old Trafford last November, which has seen him muster just 34 points from 33 games.

Manchester United's top brass are understood to be standing by their man for now. But with Amorim's position looking more perilous by the week, noise over potential replacements continue to grow in the background, including the prospect of an Old Trafford return for Carrick.

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The Sun claim that Carrick is among the caretaker options open to United should they decide a change of manageris necessary. The former Middlesbrough manager, 44, took charge of two games for United in late 2021 when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked and spent time on the club's coaching staff following a 12-year stint as a Red Devils player.

The report notes that Carrick is still close to the United set-up as his 16-year-old son, Jacy, is part of the club's academy. He recently worked as a pundit for Amazon Prime's coverage of the Champions League, interviewing Tottenham head coach, Thomas Frank.

Intriguingly, Solskjaer tipped Carrick as a future Manchester United manager during an interview with The Athletic in 2023. “I am 100 per cent sure that Michael will be the manager of Manchester United if he wants to be,” he said. “I cannot see him not being the Manchester United manager.”

Solskjaer added: “He’s a winner, a massive winner, yet he stays in control of his emotions. He knows what he wants and doesn’t lose his rag. He’ll never be emotional and fight with the players.”

While Carrick could be turned to on a caretaker basis, Manchester United have other coaches in the Premier League who they admire and may consider as possible replacements for Amorim, including Oliver Glasner, Andoni Iraola and Fabian Hurzeler.

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