Redknapp names Emery and Howe as only viable Carrick replacements at struggling Man United

Jamie Redknapp has urged Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to consider only Unai Emery and Eddie Howe as credible replacements for Michael Carrick, whose position at Old Trafford is under mounting pressure after a 2-0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea at the weekend left the club above the relegation zone on goal difference alone.

Carrick has not won a Premier League match since 30 August and United have now gone nine games without a victory across all competitions — a run that has intensified speculation over his future, despite being handed the role on a permanent basis only in the summer.

“There are only, I think, two runners,” Redknapp said. “Listen, Michael Carrick is still in the job, so it’s unfair to be saying it. But if that’s the case, if this doesn’t improve, it’s inevitable that he’s going to lose his job. It can only be him [Emery] really and Eddie Howe.”

Redknapp reserved particular praise for Emery, who has transformed Aston Villa into a consistent European contender since taking charge. While acknowledging that the Spaniard may be reluctant to leave a project where he has significant control, Redknapp suggested the scale of the United challenge could prove too compelling to ignore.

“He might think, ‘this is the challenge for me’, and every manager has an ego,” Redknapp said. “Everyone will believe that they can turn Manchester United around. With his abilities, he would probably be the only one that I would trust to be able to do it.”

Redknapp also addressed the claims surrounding Julian Nagelsmann, who has been linked with the United vacancy since departing as Germany head coach in the summer. The former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder acknowledged Nagelsmann’s early promise but expressed reservations about his recent record, pointing to Germany’s disappointing World Cup campaign as a concern.

“Julian Nagelsmann has done pretty well in Germany,” Redknapp said. “I think he started off his career so good… last few years, not quite so good, obviously with Germany at the World Cup.”

Redknapp also stressed that a managerial appointment alone would not be sufficient to arrest United’s decline, warning that deep structural issues at the club need to be addressed regardless of who takes the dugout. “I don’t believe anyone else is just going to go in there with a manager and an assistant and change it,” he said. “There are so many things behind the scenes that need to change.”

United’s next Premier League fixture will be a critical test of whether Carrick can stabilise results and buy himself more time, with the club sitting just two points above bottom-placed Sunderland.