Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe.
Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe.
According to reports, Manchester United have chosen Julian Nagelsmann as the ‘leading candidate to replace head coach Michael Carrick.
Carrick is fortunate to still be in the job because Man Utd have only won two of their first 12 matches in all competitions this season.
The Red Devils were expected to sack Carrick after back-to-back defeats to Como and AFC Bournemouth, but club chiefs have decided to back him until this weekend’s match against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Man Utd are being linked with several potential replacements for Carrick, who still appears to be on borrowed time at Old Trafford.
Carrick remains the firm favourite to be the first Premier League manager sacked this season, and the potential replacements include Nagelsmann, Eddie Howe, Unai Emery and Antonio Conte.
READ: Rooney aims ‘dig’ at JJ Gabriel as Kane morphs into dictator Mbappe with ludicrous ‘demand’
It has been widely reported that technical director Jason Wilcox wants Howe, while director of recruitment Christopher Vivell would prefer Nagelsmann after they worked together at RB Leipzig.
Manchester United choose between Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe
Now, a report from Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke claims Man Utd are leaning towards Nagelsmann as their ‘leading candidate’ who is keen on joining.
O’Rourke explained: “Julian Nagelsmann is pretty high up on the list of managerial targets at Manchester United.
“Obviously it’s being driven by United’s technical director, Christopher Vivell, who is a big fan of Nagelsmann and worked with him RB Leipzig, so there’s a long-standing association between the pair.
“As you said, Nagelsmann is a target that’s been on United’s radar for a while when every manager jobs comes up.
“He was linked with it when Ruben Amorim left, he was linked again during the summer, and it’s a job Nagelsmann would be interested in for sure.”
READ MORE: Ratcliffe slammed, Manchester City mocked and uncapped, underrated star backed for England
Despite this, former Premier League striker Emile Heskey thinks Man Utd should go for Howe over Nagelsmann.
Heskey told BestBettingSites: “It seems to be between Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann, with Antonio Conte mentioned as well. Conte wouldn’t necessarily be a bad appointment, but he would rub a lot of players up the wrong way.
“I don’t know if you’d want that right now. It’s not a bad thing in principle, but do you want to appease the players or do you really want to go in hard against them? Going in hard and shaking them up a bit might be needed, but it could also have the opposite effect.
“Eddie Howe is a safer bet. The only issue is that with a new manager coming in, you’ve got to get rid of a load of players to bring in a load of new ones who can play the way he wants. But if you’re Eddie Howe, why wouldn’t you take it? It’s Manchester United. It’s a huge institution, and if you get it right, you’re the person who fixed Manchester United—one of the biggest clubs in the world. And if it goes wrong, well, look how many other managers have gotten it wrong before you. You can’t really lose.”