Manchester United Have No Idea What They Want in a Coach

Manchester United have yet to officially dismiss Michael Carrick following Sunday’s horrendous 3-0 humbling at the hands of Bournemouth.

This inaction has led many fans to suspect that the club don’t actually know what they want to do, which would fit the pattern for how the Glazer family and INEOS tend to operate.

The stark reality is that there is a widespread acceptance that a managerial change is needed, and it will happen, but there is far less clarity on exactly what Manchester United want to do regarding Carrick’s replacement.

The World-Class Options Don’t Fit the Structure

Having the very best often means success. However, it also means demands are placed on those in very cushy positions of power.

Antonio Conte is available and has won the Premier League with Chelsea. He has also won Serie A with three different clubs, the most recent of which came with Napoli in 2024/25.

He is a serial winner, but would demand a lot from both the playing staff and the technical department above him.

With concerns over his dour football being somewhat less important given the dire straits United find themselves in once again, there is little reason as to why Conte wouldn’t be at the very top of the list.

The problem is United’s structure isn’t built for Conte or immediate success. It requires spending and a willingness to move quickly in the same direction. Manchester United no longer does anything quickly.

There is a clear clash of style and expectations there, and United have shown no desire to adapt their structure to fit a world-class manager, as we saw by the outcome of negotiations with Thomas Tuchel over a year ago.

Diego Simeone is the next name in this bracket. He’s perhaps the best coach in the world right now with the personality equipped to handle Old Trafford.

He’s incredibly committed to Atletico Madrid, which would make matters difficult, but Manchester United should be at least investigating the possibility of getting the Argentine.

Money is another obstacle here. Diego Simeone is paid an annual salary of just over £20 million.

However, his current deal is due to expire in June 2027. A competent club would at least investigate this possibility.

The Realistic Options Don’t Give Fans Belief

Unfortunately for Manchester United fans, belief is at an all-time low.

It may well be factual that the club can’t expect to win either of the two major trophies the club is built around… the Premier League and Champions League, whilst the Glazer family remain attached to the club, but fans need hope.

That’s what a managerial appointment can do. It can create an illusion of hope amongst fans that they can envisage a certain appointment lifting one of those two trophies.

The problem is that the realistic options right now don’t create that.

Eddie Howe’s ceiling has been shown at Newcastle. He’s a bright coach with limited charisma, who has overachieved with Bournemouth, albeit being relegated, and doing just enough to keep his job at Newcastle. Remember, the aims of the fans at St. James’ Park were very different from those of the state-owned PIF, which controlled the club.

You can’t imagine Howe winning a major trophy with United, much like it was difficult to envisage Michael Carrick doing so as a manager. That’s a real problem.

The scale of the difficulties the club are currently in, as well as the near mutiny which occurred from the stands at Old Trafford on Sunday, means a huge personality needs to come in.

Someone who can shake United out of this spiral and save the current campaign. Does Eddie Howe have the personality to deal with that? He’s never shown it.

United’s technical department doesn’t know what they want to do, and until they figure it out, Manchester United are in limbo.