- Julian Nagelsmann ‘open to joining’ Manchester United
- Carlos Baleba fades on INEOS wishlist
- Michael Carrick responds to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer comparisons
Manchester United enter the business end of the season, and there’s just as much action on the pitch as there is behind the scenes. The Reds are preparing for one of the most important summers in the club’s history.
A new permanent head coach will be appointed and Michael Carrick is the frontrunner amid an impressive caretaker tenure. He’s on the brink of guiding the Red Devils to a top five finish, clinching Champions League qualification.
But United aren’t being pressured into making a decision and deciding to hand the job to Carrick permanently. They are still doing their due diligence and Julian Nagelsmann remains a contender.
Carrick on ‘Irrelevant’ Solskjaer Comparisons
Carrick took charge of United in January, replacing Ruben Amorim. He has steered the Reds out of a gloomy situation and has them on course to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition.
The 44-year-old has overseen eight wins and two defeats in his 12 games in the dugout. His impact has been compared to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who took over as caretaker manager in late 2018 before landing the job permanently in March 2019.
Carrick has responded to suggestions that a similar scenario is occurring with him looking likely to be offered the role full-time:
“I think I’ve got the utmost respect for he’s a close friend of mine, and I worked closely with him when he was here. I was quite attached to that. And I thought we, we did a lot of good things, really, and came reallly close. And in the end, obviously it changed, and it went a different direction. That’s football.”
“I think comparisons you could compare to all, sorts of different situations and managers and coaches and teams over the years. It’s just depends on what you want to choose, to compare, but it’s irrelevant really, really is.”
“And that’s not a negative or a positive. It just doesn’t really have any link at all. I think it’s we’re a different team now to irrespective of me, who’s in charge of different team, it’s different time, so I don’t really think comparisons literally make any difference at all.”
Carrick served as an assistant to Solskjaer during the Norweigan’s 35-month reign at Old Trafford. The pair grew close during their time working together but the Englishman replaced Amorim at his former colleague’s expense.
Baleba Update
Whether Carrick is appointed or not, at least one new midfielder will be arriving at United. The club are looking to replace Casemiro, who is set to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Carlos Baleba remains on their shortlist after failing with an approach for the Brighton & Hove Albion man last summer. But the Cameroonian has endured a dissapointing campaign, and it’s resulted in him “fading a bit”.
That’s according to Laurie Whitwell who has delved into the situation regarding United’s interest in Baleba. He said on the Talk of The Devils podcast:
“Carlos Baleba, we’ve been here before with United. It didn’t get that close because Brighton were never willing to sell at a price United would meet. “He’s had a difficult season, so his name has faded a bit, but he’s still a genuine possibility.”
Brighton were believed to have valued Baleba at £100m last summer and United were only prepared to pay £75m. The Reds now feel that a £50m fee is more reasonable amid a drop off in form.
Nagelsmann Still in Contention
Despite Carrick clearly being in pole position to land the United job, he still has competition from Nagelsmann. The former Bayern Munich coach will be managing the Germany national team at this summer’s World Cup.
According to SullyTalkz, Nagelsmann is “admired internally” and there has been contact with his representatives. He was on the club’s radar when Erik ten Hag was sacked and Christopher Vivell has “advocated for him.”
Nagelsmann will be preoccupied with the World Cup, which means if he were to be appointed, he could arrive midway through pre-season. But he is “open to joining”, which just highlights that giving the role to Carrick isn’t a foregone conclusion.
