Manchester United is once again in search for a new mana- er… head coach? I’m not entirely sure, but in either case they may be turning to some familiar faces in the meantime, according to multiple reports.
Former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and former assistant Michael Carrick are both reportedly in consideration for a return to Old Trafford to help guide the club as caretakers for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
Skysports reported on Tuesday that both have been informally contacted by the club about joining current interim coach Darren Fletcher, followed by a report from Florian Plettenberg that Solskjaer was awaiting the club’s decision after holding talks.
The Guardian’s Jamie Jackson, who wrote a book about Solskjaer’s rise from interim to manager at United, also reported that Sporting Director Jason Wilcox considers Solskjaer a strong candidate for caretaker because of the positivity he brought last time around.
A conflicting report came from Alex Crook, who said Michael Carrick had not been contacted yet.
Solskjaer was first named interim manager at Manchester United on December 19, 2018 after the sacking of Jose Mourinho, following a turbulent spell which left him at odds with several players. The form took an immediate turn toward positive, attacking football, with United winning five Premier League games in a row and recording FA Cup wins over Arsenal and Chelsea. Solskjaer’s first defeat as manager was a 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, which led to a 3-1 comeback victory in the second leg.
He was soon named the manager on a permanent basis, and despite a poor end to the campaign he led the club to back-to-back Champions League finishes and an appearance in the 2021 UEFA Europa League Final.
Solskjaer and the club mutually parted ways on November 20, 2021 after a run of poor form to start the 2021-22 season, with Carrick taking over as interim manager for three matches before the appointment of Ralf Rangnick, and eventually Erik ten Hag. The club has yet to better his second-place finish on 81 points in the 2020-21 season, which saw United go undefeated away from home.
Solskjaer was manager of Besiktas for eight months in 2025, guiding them to a positive finish to the season before being dismissed at the start of the 2025-26 campaign due to the team’s failure in UEFA playoff competition for both Europa League and Conference League spots.
Carrick was named manager of Middlesbrough in October of 2022, and led the Championship club for three years before he was sacked in June of 2025 after a 10th place finish. When he took over, Boro were in 21st with just 17 points from 16 games. He won 16 of his first 23 matches and guided the club to a playoff spot, losing to Coventry City in the semi-finals. His second season ended in an 8th placed finish.
