FBL-GER-BUNDESLIGA-MAINZ-BAYERN MUNICH
Bayern Munich’s English acting Head Coach Aaron Danks (L) congratultes his players including Bayern Munich’s French defender #02 Dayot Upamecano and Bayern Munich’s French midfielder #17 Michael Olise (R) after the German first division Bundesliga football match between Mainz 05 and FC Bayern Munich in Mainz, south-western Germany on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO
It doesn’t look like Michael Carrick is going anywhere, but Man Utd are considering an addition to help him more, in the form of Aaron Danks.
Having been given effectively two games to save his job, Michael Carrick engineered two remarkable turnarounds against AS Roma and Aston Villa to keep himself in the hot seat.
The big picture is still brutal for Man Utd, and an argument can be made that he warranted the sack regardless of these two results.
While that isn’t likely anymore, help could soon arrive at Carrington in the form of Aaron Danks.
Who is Aaron Danks?
There was a lot of celebration among Man Utd fans last season when Carrick was confirmed as the permanent manager because people on his staff had good reputations.
His coaching staff had the likes of Steve Holland, who accounted for Carrick’s lack of experience, and specialists like Travis Binnion (attack) and Jonny Evans (defence).
However, all of that has gone down the drain this season, and United are looking to Bayern Munich’s Aaron Danks as a potential addition to the staff.
Danks is currently the assistant coach at Bayern Munich, but he has previously worked with Carrick at Middlesbrough and has Premier League experience as well.
He was the assistant manager for Aston Villa under Dean Smith, and has followed Kompany at Anderlecht and Bayern, in addition.
During the recent health scare for Kompany, Danks stepped up and took charge of first-team games for the German champions, proving how highly regarded he is in Munich.
Carrick is probably relying on his past network with Danks to tempt him, because on paper, swapping Bayern for United makes little sense, especially with Carrick’s own future under doubt.
What to expect from Danks
Danks has been an offensive-minded coach during his career, overseeing spells of immense scoring at Bayern Munich, Anderlecht, as well as Middlesbrough with Carrick.
The impact of a first-team coach on the setup can’t be overstated, so it is a curious decision in the sense that he theoretically doesn’t help much with United’s defensive worries.
Having said that, his pedigree of working with some of the biggest stars in football will come in handy for Carrick, who has had a hard time managing the personalities in the dressing room.
For Danks, this would be an extremely risky move due to Carrick’s future, and even though Danks has previously been kept at clubs despite the manager changing, United are extremely chaotic.
His pedigree can’t be doubted, and he’ll undoubtedly add more gravitas to a pretty understated Man Utd coaching staff, but his skill set doesn’t look like what United need at this moment.