Eddie Howe in the frame as Manchester United weigh Michael Carrick's future
Manchester United are considering who would replace Michael Carrick if he loses his job, and Eddie Howe is one of the names in the frame. Howe left Newcastle United in the summer, so he is free to take a new job. Any club that wants him would still have to pay a fee first.
Carrick is the first permanent British manager appointed in the Ineos era, the period since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became a co-owner of the club in 2024. He was named Premier League Manager of the Month for January 2026 and has a new contract as head coach running to 2028. But the club's current results have put his position under scrutiny, and the decision now sits with chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Jason Wilcox and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell. BBC Sport reports that United's match against Chelsea on Saturday is likely to have a bearing on Carrick's future.
Howe, 48, has a long record of rescuing clubs in trouble. He was appointed Bournemouth manager in January 2009, when the club was facing relegation from League Two, the fourth tier of English football. He took them up to the Premier League in 2015. He left the south coast club for a second time in 2020.
He then joined Newcastle United in 2021. He led them into the Champions League, Europe's top club competition, on two occasions. In 2025 he won the EFL Cup, the League Cup, the club's first trophy in 56 years. He stepped down as Newcastle manager with immediate effect in July 2026.
That departure is why a fee is involved. BBC Sport reports that any club or national team would currently have to pay a seven-figure compensation fee to Newcastle to appoint him. The figure started at £6 million and had already fallen by half. It keeps dropping over time and runs out before the end of the season, after which Howe could be appointed for nothing.
Former United captain Roy Keane has backed Howe as a possible successor to Carrick. Howe himself has been more careful. Asked about the link in late October, he gave a clear answer distancing himself from the Old Trafford job, according to the Daily Mirror.
For Carrick, the next few days matter most. Football managers often live or die by the next result, and a club deciding whether to change its boss usually waits to see how the most recent game goes. For Howe, the question is whether a fast-moving job at one of England's biggest clubs is the next chapter he wants. Either way, nothing has been decided, and the outcome will depend on Saturday's result and the club's choice.
