Michael Carrick is the preferred candidate to become the permanent manager of Manchester United and talks are planned this week ahead of a potential appointment, GIVEMESPORT understands.
Carrick has been in interim charge at Old Trafford since January, when Ruben Amorim was sacked and he has guided the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League, with United third in the Premier League with two games of the 2025/26 season to play.
The improvement was immediate and dramatic under Carrick and the former United player is now the leading contender to take the reins permanently, according to GIVEMESPORT sources.
The executive committee at Old Trafford are expected to ratify the former Middlesbrough boss as the preferred candidate at a meeting this week, ahead of formal talks with Carrick.
Nothing is yet decided and United have not ruled out other names from the process, but Carrick is the preferred option.
Manchester United are now stepping up their summer recruitment, and they are far from done. It was a slow start to the summer for the Red Devils, especially after they decided to cancel the Ederson deal, but the swiftly pivoted to snap up Andrey Santos from Chelsea.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, United are likely to return to the midfield market even after the signing of Tielemans, but it will likely be later in the window.
“Let me say Man United are probably not done in midfield, so they could still do something else in terms of adding one more midfielder before the end of the window,” Romano said on his YouTube show.
“Man United are assessing options, are talking with their board of directors, with their management team, and with the coach Michael Carrick to decide the best options possible. But Man United are working on another midfielder, so it’s a possibility they are considering. It’s not 100% guaranteed yet, but it’s a serious possibility in case the right opportunity arrives on the market.”
Man Utd may lack Casemiro’s presence
United have signed two different types of midfielders so far, with Santos a player who is able to play in any of the middle roles, be it as a number six, eight or 10. But the Brazilian is still young, and he is a far more dynamic midfielder compared to the holding presence of Casemiro. As for Tielemans, he is a player who is going to control the game with the ball, controlling the rhythm and pulling the strings, but he does not have the defensive talent of Casemiro.
With that in mind, you wonder whether United will go after a midfielder with a little more presence, even if it is a cheaper player who can offer an alternative from the bench. Currently, the Red Devils are lacking that kind of player, and we are seeing very few successful teams who don’t have that dominant force in their midfield, be it Declan Rice, Rodri, Vitinha or others.
Troy Deeney has stunningly claimed that one England player was “no better than Noni Madueke’ during their 2-1 win vs Norway on Saturday night, thus urging Thomas Tuchel to drop him ahead of the World Cup semi-final.
England have never beaten a side who are in the top four of the FIFA World Rankings at a major tournament before, but will need to do just that to cut Lionel Messi’s title defence short in Atlanta, Georgia.
Deeney Brutally Names England Star Tuchel Must Drop vs Argentina
Deeney claimed that the lack of critique headed Nico O’Reilly’s way pales in comparison to the heat on Arsenal winger Noni Madueke, but that shouldn’t be the case. His brutal verdict on Manchester City’s left-back was made when he, Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent named their predicted line-up for England’s semi-final clash against Argentina. After he was picked in the XI, Deeney said on talkSPORT:
“By the way, he’s [Nico O’Reilly] been getting away with murder. Because he’s been playing just as good [bad] as [Noni] Madueke. It’s just coming up against Messi, because that’s what he’s going to come in on the [England] left side. I would probably have to go Djed Spence just to match him. And say to Djed Spence, ‘Just follow him. If he goes inside, go inside.'”
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Brett Davis
Goldstein felt Deeney’s verdict was rather harsh, prompting the latter to respond: “What’s been his good game?” The co-host admitted O’Reilly was yet to produce a memorable performance, but that he hadn’t exactly been bad either.
Deeney replied: “No, I agree. And I don’t think Madueke has had a bad game. He’s just been in the middle. I’m just saying, the level of what you look for in an attacking player is much different to what you look for in a defensive player. Nico O’Reilly hasn’t been great. He’s been okay. For a player of his talent, and a player of his ability, okay shouldn’t be good enough.”
O’Reilly has featured in all six of the Three Lions’ World Cup fixtures, with five of those being starts. Similarly to O’Reilly, Spence has featured in each of England’s six World Cup fixtures to date but has started just twice.
He Also Believes England Can ‘Batter’ Argentina in Semi-Final
Nathan Ray Seebeck (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
Just four days ago, Deeney said Tuchel’s side would ‘come unstuck’ if they had to face Argentina. But he has since changed his tune, so much so that he has now made the sensational claim that England can ‘batter’ their opponents en-route to just a second World Cup final appearance in their history. He said (watch from 2:00 of the video below):
“I actually think we batter them [Argentina]. Like 2-0, comfortable. Because I’ve watched Argentina all the way through – they are older, they’re all over the place at the back, their centre midfielders are absolutely not controlling the game. Last of all, they are Messi or bust.”
Whether England can stop Messi from adding to his tally of eight goals and three assists in six matches this summer is a massive ask, though, while Tuchel will once again be leaning on Harry Kane and Bellingham is he is to continue his side’s impressive run of grinding out results, no matter what is thrown their way.
Looking to secure a spot in their first World Cup final since 1966, England will take on Argentina in their semi-final. The Three Lions have heavily relied on Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham this summer, but the Argentine press believe stopping another man could be the key to success.
Bellingham bagged a brace against Norway in the quarters, having also scored twice in the 3-2 win over Mexico. Kane also found the back of the next in that Last 16 victory, while his two strikes were enough to see England edge past DR Congo in the Round of 32.
In total, both Kane and Bellingham have six goals this summer, with Marcus Rashford the only other player to have netted at the tournament under Thomas Tuchel. Even so, it’s felt that a different player is worth targeting if Argentina want to make their second successive final, having won the 2022 World Cup.
‘England Lose Clarity’ – Argentina Told To Target Midfielder
“Pressure on the build-up play. When Declan Rice receives the ball uncomfortably or with his back to goal, England loses clarity in their build-up play and begins to resort more frequently to direct play. Kane might win the initial aerial duel, but the team loses precision and continuity. Stifling that initial ball movement could prevent Bellingham from receiving the ball facing forward and reduce England’s attacking threat.”
Not only did he speak specifically about Rice, but the article also notes some other exploitable issues England may have. Distefano wrote: “They tend to be sluggish at the start of matches. In several games, they needed a considerable amount of time to settle defensively and struggled when the opposition managed to impose a high tempo from the outset. Striking early can not only alter the course of the game but also force Tuchel’s team to abandon a game plan they are much more comfortable with.”
The journalist also claimed that, “The mobility of the Argentine forwards and the overlapping runs of Molina and Tagliafico can create overloads on the flanks,” if England lose possesion. Finally, he suggested that the Three Lions have ‘accumulated more fatigue than Argentina’ over the tournament, which could be important on the day.
Threat of Kane and Bellingham Also Highlighted
TycSports clearly feel as though the likes of Kane and Bellingham won’t be able to do their thing if Rice is put under enough pressure in the middle of the park. That’s not to say they have overlooked the indieifaul qualitty of the two England goalscoring threats.
Of the Real Madrid star, Distefano noted: “Bellingham has gone from being just an attacking midfielder to a game-changer, a player who unlocks the game from deep. He exploits the space Kane creates, appearing without a fixed target, and arriving in the box with incredibly precise timing. A moment of inattention is all it takes to find him finishing through the middle or attacking the far post.”
Talking about the England captain, he then concluded: “Kane remains the attacking focal point, though no longer solely due to his goalscoring ability. He increasingly drops deeper to link up with the midfielders, pin back the center-backs, and free up the central channel for Bellingham’s runs or Bukayo Saka’s diagonal runs.”
