Manchester United have seen a new lease of life under Michael Carrick over the past couple of weeks - but there's speculation that the Reds could be lining up a more seasoned manager for 2026/27
Jose Mourinho looks on
Jose Mourinho may have done Manchester United a solid(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
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With no European football to concentrate on in 2025/26 as a result of Ruben Amorim's lacklustre 15th-place finish last season and inability to clinch the Europa League title in May, Manchester United fans will have had the pick of the bunch in terms of games to tune into on Wednesday evening.
The final round of mass group stage fixtures in the Champions League played out simultaneously from 8pm onward, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. While the Blue half of Manchester will have been enthralled with City's 2-0 win over Galatasaray, which guaranteed Pep Guardiola's side will make it to the round of 16, Reds fans may have opted to devote their attention in any of the other 17 matches unfolding across Europe.
Those tuning in to Benfica's clash with Real Madrid at the Estadio da Luz will have been rewarded generously. From a neutral perspective, the match - which finished 4-2 in the host's favour - offered everything any decent night under the bright lights promises; plenty of action, an underdog defying all odds, and late, late drama.
While Madrid looked increasingly likely to also secure their place in the round of 16 headed into their match with a struggling Benfica, fate had other plans for Alvaro Arbeloa. Meanwhile, Benfica needed a miracle to have any hopes of qualifying for a knockout play-off place, given they were trailed Marseille by three points and goal difference headed into the encounter.
An already herculean task was turned into what seemed like mission impossible for the Portuguese giants when Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring 30 minutes into the match, but Benfica were determined not to go down without a fight. Andreas Schjelderup drew level six minutes later, before Vangelis Pavlidis inspired hope for the hosts on the stroke of half-time with a coolly-converted penalty.
Schjelderup looked to put Benfica well on their way to achieving the great escape nine minutes into the second half by securing his brace, but Mbappe scored his second of the evening four minutes later to burst the home team's bubble. As the news of a 3-0 defeat for Marseille at the hands of Club Brugge made its way across to the Estadio de Luz in the dying embers of Benfica's clash with Madrid, it was a case of last chance saloon for Jose Mourinho's side - who needed just one more goal to overtake the Ligue 1 challengers into 24th.
Two red cards for Madrid in stoppage time gave Benfica a major advantage, as Fredrik Aursnes stepped up to deliver a deep free-kick into the area. Mourinho was seen ushering as many players as possible into the box, including goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, for one last roll of the dice.
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In astounding fashion, the goalkeeper beat Madrid's defence to the ball in the aerial duel, nodding home past a floundering Thibaut Courtois before wheeling off in jubilation. The final whistle sounded moments later, as the home crowd erupted, realising that they had somehow managed to make it to the play-offs of the Champions League and handed a lifeline in reaching the knockout stages.
Thanks to his tactics, Mourinho may well have saved Manchester United a pretty penny in their pursuit of a new head coach. While Michael Carrick has thrived at Old Trafford since stepping in as a replacement to Amorim, there is speculation that he may not see a permanent role with the club come season's end.
Carrick has only taken on an interim position until the summer, where it is thought that United will reassess their options and potentially decide upon a more seasoned manager with more experience, regardless of how Carrick fares in the second-half of 2025/26.
Roberto De Zerbi gestures
Roberto De Zerbi could be headed for the doors of Marseille(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
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While Oliver Glasner is currently the main man in the running, given he has been linked with the Reds for some time and is set to leave his current post with Crystal Palace this summer, another name who has cropped up in conversation is Roberto De Zerbi. And should United decide that they prefer the current Marseille coach over Glasner or other suitors, Mourinho may have just done his former club a solid.
Reports in France on Thursday afternoon suggested that De Zerbi is in serious danger of losing his job following Marseille's elimination from the Champions League, and that he was not at Clairefontaine with his team to prepare for Saturday's match against Paris FC.
RMC Sport also claim that discussions are underway between all parties to finalise a decision on the manager's future with his current club. While nothing is concrete just yet, United would not have to pay compensation to Marseille if he does get the boot in the coming days, weeks or months, given he would be a free agent and ready to step into work.
That would be a major incentive for the Reds, considering they may be hesitant to splash out on new managerial talent any time soon following Amorim's disastrous run with the club. United are thought to have paid Sporting CP around £10million to bring him to Old Trafford in November 2024, given he was under contract with the Portuguese titans at the time.
And given that they've just had to pay a pretty penny to sack him earlier this month, coupled with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's cost-cutting ethos, it would be a massive surprise if the Reds decide to repeat history in their fresh pursuit of a new permanent head coach.