Howe's backroom demand could define whether Man Utd job offer succeeds where Celtic failed

Eddie Howe is Manchester United’s frontrunner to replace interim head coach Michael Carrick, but securing the former Newcastle manager could depend on whether the club will accommodate his longstanding demand to bring his entire backroom team with him.

United’s technical director Jason Wilcox is reportedly “leaning towards” Howe as the preferred candidate, according to talkSPORT, ahead of alternatives including Antonio Conte and Julian Nagelsmann. The search for a new manager has intensified after United’s 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth on Sunday left them 16th in the Premier League and extended their winless run across all competitions to eight matches — a run that also includes a 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como.

Howe, 48, stepped down as Newcastle boss in July after five years in charge. He has been out of work since, but his availability comes with a well-documented condition: he insists on working with his own staff.

A proposed move to Celtic collapsed in 2021 precisely over that issue. “I felt that if I was to come into a pressured job like [Celtic], I needed to go in with a sense of stability,” Howe told The Athletic in 2022. “I could have recruited new staff, but then you’re working each other out and there’s a transition process where it probably takes three, four, five months. That’s five months too late. I needed my staff with me and we couldn’t get them together.”

Should United make a formal approach, they would likely need to negotiate contracts for Howe’s trusted lieutenants: assistant Jason Tindall, first-team coaches Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone, and sports scientist Dan Hodges — all four of whom worked with him at both Bournemouth and Newcastle.

The situation is complicated by the coaching staff Carrick assembled when he took charge as interim head coach in January, which includes Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans, Travis Binnion and Craig Mawson. Whether those coaches would leave alongside Carrick or remain at Old Trafford remains unclear, and their futures could determine how much room exists for Howe to install his own team.

United have shown willingness to accommodate such demands before. When Ruben Amorim was appointed in 2024, the club allowed him to bring five members of his backroom staff from Sporting CP. If Howe is genuinely their preferred choice, a similar arrangement may be the price of getting a deal done.

Carrick’s immediate future could be decided as early as this week. If he remains in charge, his next fixture is against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.