Carrrick’s replacement: Jacobs names five Man Utd managerial candidates who weren’t available in the summer

In partnership with

Utd Report

·17 September 2026

Carrrick’s replacement: Jacobs names five Man Utd managerial candidates who weren’t available in the summer

Manchester United are monitoring the managerial market, which seems to be more appealing compared with the summer, as Julian Nagelsmann and others have become available.

Although we’re only six matches into the campaign, Michael Carrick might be walking on thin ice already. He only registered one Premier League win in four matches, and on Wednesday, his team was eliminated from the Carabao Cup after squandering an early two-goal lead against Brighton.

OneFootball Videos

Since we’re heading to a three-week international break, this could be the ideal time for a mid-season managerial change, especially if Carrick fails to register a positive result at Fulham on Sunday.

Julian Nigelsmann and four other options for the Old Trafford hot seat

Julian Nagelsmann re-emerges as a Man Utd managerial candidate (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

At this stage, Carrick’s departure remains far from a given. However, the club’s officials might be contemplating their options already.

In his latest appearance on The United Stand, English journalist Ben Jacobs mentioned five names who could emerge as options, as the club had considered, but they weren’t attainable in the summer, starting with Nagelsmann.

“What makes this a more unpredictable situation is when we were speaking at the end of last season, a lot of the candidates were not actually available,” noted Jacobs.

“Julian Nagelsmann was off to the World Cup, it wasn’t known at that point that he would end up quitting

“Thomas Tuchel had extended off the back of the World Cup the expectation is still that he manages a home Euros but you can never say never. Eddie Howe was at Newcastle United; Kieran McKenna was in a job.

The journalist even mentions Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, who is also enduring a rought start to the season, which pave the way for a departure from Birmingham.

“Unai Emery has people that appreciated him, but the feeling was why would he leave Aston Villa, no one is saying that Emery wants out but there’s definitely a different landscape at that club.

“So several of the candidates when we were speaking in March, that weren’t that attainable in the summer, some of them are available and some of them are more attainable and that’s where Manchester United are going to have to make a big decision.”

Should Man Utd consider some of these options?

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

While Nagelsmann didn’t cover himself in glory during the World Cup, his track record remains more impressive than Carrick’s.

However, the former Bayern Munich and Germany boss would be more suited to a long-term project. Man Utd’s Head of Recruitment Christopher Vivell would likely relish a reunion with the 39-year-old, but whether the impatient management and fanbase are willing to give him the required time to succeed remains unclear.

Tuchel and Emery represent more experienced profiles, but they both remain under contract. Kieran McKenna would be an interesting solution, given how he collaborated with Carrick for several years, and even served as his assistant during the latter’s brief caretaker spell in 2021. But while the 40-year-old succeeded at Ipswich, he lacks top-level experience.

Finally, Howe could be a sensible solution given the valuable Premier League experience he garnered at a relatively young age, but he might not be everyone’s cup of tea.