Michael Carrick has reached a verbal agreement with Manchester United to take over as interim head coach until the end of the season.
Negotiations were concluded late on Monday night, with all outstanding issues resolved, according to Sky Sports News. The contractual details are now being finalised, and Carrick is expected to sign the agreement later on Tuesday.
Under the proposed arrangement, former England assistant coach Steve Holland will serve as Carrick’s assistant. He will be joined on the backroom staff by Jonathan Woodgate, current Under-21s coach Travis Binnion, and defender Jonny Evans, who rejoined the club during Darren Fletcher’s interim spell. Fletcher is expected to return to coaching duties with United’s Under-18s.
Carrick arrived at the club’s Carrington training ground on Tuesday morning for discussions with director of football Jason Wilcox. Both parties are keen to complete the deal swiftly to allow Carrick to begin preparations for training on Wednesday, ahead of Saturday’s Manchester derby.
Carrick emerged as the leading candidate after United held talks with him and former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the departure of Ruben Amorim on January 5. Club officials were reportedly impressed by Carrick’s plans for the remainder of the season.
United are now focused solely on the Premier League after their FA Cup exit to Brighton, a defeat that accelerated plans to appoint an interim head coach.
The former midfielder made 464 appearances during a 12-year playing career at Old Trafford and later served in various coaching roles, including caretaker manager spells in 2018 and 2021, during which he went unbeaten. He left United in 2021 and later managed Middlesbrough, guiding them to playoff contention before departing in June 2025.
