Silvestre joins Rooney and Valencia in offering to return to United under Carrick

Mikael Silvestre has become the third former Manchester United player to offer his services to Michael Carrick, telling Grosvenor Sport he would return to Old Trafford in a director of football capacity if the opportunity arose.

The Frenchman spent nine trophy-laden seasons at United, with his final two years at the club overlapping with Carrick’s time in the dressing room. After retiring in 2014, Silvestre moved into executive football rather than coaching, completing a Masters in sports management before taking on the director of football role at Rennes — the club where he began his professional career — and most recently serving in the same position at Romanian side CFR Cluj.

“I earned my coaching badges but it’s not for me,” Silvestre said. “I’d prefer the Director of Football role which I did at Rennes after I completed my Masters in sports management. I will go and watch United in September and observe training but like all former players I look out for all my clubs, although I look out for United more specifically than others. I played for them for nine years, after all.”

Silvestre was candid about the practicalities of any return, acknowledging that Carrick’s backroom setup appears complete. “I don’t know because I believe his coaching team is already full. It’s a department that has everyone it needs so I don’t see anybody coming in from the outside to offer something extra,” he added. The director of football position he covets is currently occupied by Jason Wilcox, who was appointed months after Dan Ashworth’s departure.

Silvestre joins Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia in making the offer public. Rooney, who has been out of management since leaving Plymouth Argyle in 2024, said in January that joining Carrick at United would be the only role to pull him away from punditry. “Of course I would. It’s a no-brainer,” the former United captain said at the time.

Valencia, who shared nine years in the dressing room with Carrick and is currently working as a pundit on World Cup coverage for Telemundo Deportes, was equally emphatic. “Yes, I would go back. Manchester United is a club that gave me so much,” the 40-year-old told Hajper. “I would work for Manchester United in any role, out of passion. It is a club I love a lot.”