Another Manchester United icon joins Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in race to replace Ruben Amorim, claims report

Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has emerged a frontrunner to replace Ruben Amorim as head coach at Old Trafford, albeit on an interim basis, ever since the club decided to relieve the latter of his duties earlier this month. Latest reports, however, indicate that Solskjaer might not be the only Man United icon in the fray for the role.

United, after all, believed to also have their sights set on former England midfielder Michael Carrick – whose 12-year run run at Old Trafford had overlapped with that of the Norwegian forward.

According to a report on The Atlantic, the 20-time English top-flight champions are believed to have interviewed by Solskjaer and Carrick for the role amid uncertainty over U-18 head coach Darren Fletcher’s run as interim boss of the senior team.

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Fletcher had overseen the team's 1-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton at home on Sunday that resulted in a third-round exit from the FA Cup. And the United board is keen on finalising their appointment of Amorim’s long-term replacement before the players return to training on Wednesday, with an announcement expected in the next 48 hours.

Solskjaer or Carrick? Which United icon will be in charge of Old Trafford? 

Solskjaer had previously taken over as United boss on an interim basis in 2018 after iconic manager Jose Mourinho’s ouster from the role. He was later appointed on a full-time basis and helped the 13-time Premier League champions finish third and second on the table in the 2019-20 and the 2020-21 seasons respectively.

Carrick on the other hand, had joined United as part of Mourinho’s support staff shortly after bringing the curtains down on his stellar career as a player, and had served as caretaker manager on two different occasions.

The first of those was after Mourinho was fired in December 2018, with Carrick steering the ship until Solskjaer’s arrival. The 44-year-old was retained as part of Solskjaer’s coaching staff, and took over as acting manager once again after the Norwegian was sacked following a string of poor results in the 2021-22 season.

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Carrick oversaw a Champions League victory over Spanish side Villarreal and later handed over his responsibilities to Ralf Rangnick following a 3-2 victory over Arsenal, with the latter being appointed for the remainder of the season until the arrival of Erik ten Hag – Amorim’s predecessor.

Carrick would later join Championship club Middlesbrough as their manager in October 2022 and remained in charge until getting sacked in June last year following the club’s 10th-place finish. Solskjaer, on the other hand, had managed Besiktas for eight months after joining the Turkish club in January.

On paper, Solskjaer would have the edge over Carrick in terms of managing a top club, especially considering the success the club had experienced in his first two seasons in charge. The club board, however, will also be wary how things ended in his third charge, and might be inclined towards taking a gamble with Carrick.