Alex Scott: Man United boss Michael Carrick weighs in on Bournemouth star | OneFootball

Manchester United’s efforts to bolster their midfield this summer are ramping up, with Michael Carrick now playing a key role in the process as the interim boss is set to be handed the job permanently.

Carrick is at the wheel

An executive meeting is scheduled this week in which sporting director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada will lay out the case for Carrick to remain in charge to Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

The former midfielder has exceeded his brief of securing Champions League football – a feat he achieved with three games to spare – by transforming the mood around Old Trafford.

The winter period was a dark one for United, with poor performances on the pitch matched by fractious arguments off it, which ultimately led to Ruben Amorim’s dismissal after a complete breakdown in his relationship with the hierarchy. But light has returned to the Theatre of Dreams since Carrick took the reins from the prickly Portuguese, with the team boasting the best run of form in England during his tenure.

Kobbie Mainoo has been brought back in from the cold to sign a five-year deal, while Bruno Fernandes looks similarly ready to commit his future to the club after his best season in a red shirt.

It’s little surprise that INEOS are ready to stick with Carrick, rather than twisting elsewhere, particularly as the leading candidates – Luis Enrique and Thomas Tuchel chief amongst them – are all unavailable.

Carrick offers his thoughts

One major benefit of having a head coach in place is their input on transfers, given it will be their guiding hand which picks the team every weekend.

While Carrick was understood to be offering advice on the club’s summer plans, this will ramp up when his position is officially confirmed – and the 44-year-old Englishman is a huge fan of one player high on United’s radar.

TEAMtalk reveals Bournemouth maestro Alex Scott is a “player that Carrick has a deep affection for and hugely admires.”

The 22-year-old midfielder is one of a number of targets the Red Devils are considering as part of their midfield revamp, with a sense that he will prove a cheaper alternative than some of his peers elsewhere in the Premier League.

Scott has enjoyed a breakout season at the Vitality Stadium after recurrent knee injuries stymied his progress after arriving from Bristol City for £25 million in 2023.

He has played every league match for the Cherries, who are locked in a red-hot race to secure an unlikely place in the Champions League next season under the careful watch of Spanish tactician Andoni Iraola.

Chelsea are understood to be United’s main competitor for Scott’s services, while Liverpool and Newcastle are also admirers. But if the Guernsey native has the firm backing of the new King at Old Trafford, he may soon be joining as a Prince of the M16 realm.

A report relayed The Peoples Person revealed United are leading the race ahead of their rivals, meaning this is a saga that is only just getting started as the summer window fast approaches.

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images

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