Manchester United weigh adding coaching support to keep Carrick ahead of Monaco summit

Manchester United are considering keeping Michael Carrick as manager but surrounding him with additional coaching support, as the club’s senior figures prepare for a crunch meeting in Monaco on Wednesday to decide his future.

Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox are set to sit down with minority owner and Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with the expectation widely being that Carrick will be removed from his role. However, one alternative under discussion is bolstering the backroom staff around him, given that Carrick has never previously managed a Premier League club.

Aaron Danks, currently a coach at Bayern Munich, is one name being considered in that capacity. Danks worked alongside Carrick at Middlesbrough and had been identified as a potential appointment during the summer. Carrick already has Steve Holland — the former Chelsea assistant and long-serving England No. 2 under Gareth Southgate — working beside him, but the current setup has not produced results.

Carrick has overseen just one win in his opening 10 Premier League matches, leaving United in the relegation zone. Three wins across the entire season so far have tested the patience of the hierarchy, though they have repeatedly stood by him.

Should the club opt for a full managerial change, no successor has been lined up. United had not anticipated needing to act this early, and appointing mid-season brings its own complications. Several candidates are nonetheless on their radar. Mauricio Pochettino, currently coaching the United States national team, has previously been linked with the Old Trafford role. Eddie Howe, who left Newcastle in the summer, is another option, with his Premier League experience considered an asset.

Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte are among the high-profile foreign coaches being monitored. Nagelsmann has managed both Bayern Munich and the Germany national team, while Conte has won league titles at four clubs, including Chelsea. Both are regarded as capable of handling the demands of a club of United’s stature.

Carrick’s position was not helped by Sunday’s 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, a result that encapsulated United’s defensive frailties. The side twice came from two goals down to level, with two stoppage-time goals rescuing a point, but the manner of the performance underlined the structural problems that have defined their season.