Manchester United are expected to accelerate the process of appointing a new interim head coach, with further detailed discussions planned between Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before a final decision is made.
Both former United players are currently meeting with the club’s leadership to make their pitch for the role. Sky Sports News reports that Carrick was particularly impressive in those meetings, but there is also recognition of how popular Solskjaer was during his previous spell as head coach.
Current short-term interim head coach Darren Fletcher said after the 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup that he has reached the end of his agreed period in charge of the first team and will report to Carrington Training Center on Monday to find out what the club wants from him next.
Further talks are also expected to take place regarding Carrick and Solskjær on Monday, with director of football Jason Wilcox leading talks. The club hope to resolve the situation as soon as possible to give the new signings the rest of the week to prepare the squad for Saturday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
The new interim head coach’s focus will likely be on qualifying for European football next season, as United have lost both cup competitions and now need to focus solely on the Premier League.
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Darren Fletcher reacts to Manchester United’s FA Cup defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford
Neville: Solskjaer’s return will be like Groundhog Day
Sky Sports’ Gary Neville spoke about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s potential return:
“They got Ryan (Giggs) in charge 10 years ago, then Ole took over, they went back to the old players and then they went back to the new players, getting more experience.
Predicted Premier League standings based on expected points (xPt)
“It’s almost like a cycle, movies we’ve all seen before and things like Groundhog Day.
“What I think is Ole is someone who really loves the club, he knows the job well and has been involved in the job.”
40-game season: What’s left to play for?
There was a few boos when the final whistle blew against Brighton, but then there was stunned silence. Where do Manchester United go from here?
When United lost to Brighton in the FA Cup, a statistic was thrown around. 40 games – that’s how long United’s season is. It was the shortest season since 1914-15, when no cup competitions were held due to World War I.
They lost to Grimsby in the second round of the Carabao Cup and suffered their first ever defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup, making it the first time since the 1981-82 season that United had been eliminated in the first round of two domestic cup matches.
That wasn’t the only sense of déjà vu United experienced on Sunday night. The other was Danny Welbeck. The last time United played fewer than 45 games in a season was 11 years ago, when Welbeck scored the FA Cup winning goal in Arsenal’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford. It’s nostalgic.
And while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick, the two main candidates for United’s interim position, have held the position in the past, this is too many nods to the past. So what does the future hold?
Read the full feature here…
Saturday, January 17th 11am
12:30pm kickoff
Manchester United’s next 5 games
January 17: Man City (H) – Premier League, kick-off 12:30pm, live on Sky Sports January 25: Arsenal (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4:30pm, live on Sky Sports February 1: Fulham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports February 7: Tottenham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 12:30pm, live on Sky Sports February 10: West Ham (A) – Premier League, kick-off 8:15pm
