Manchester United are expected to accelerate the process of appointing a new interim head coach, with further detailed talks planned before a final decision is made between Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Both former United players have now met with the club’s bosses and made their pitches for the job.
Sky Sports News has been told Carrick was particularly impressive in those meetings, but there is also an awareness of how popular Solskjaer was during his previous stint as head coach
The current short-term interim head coach, Darren Fletcher, said after the 2-1 defeat by Brighton in the FA Cup that he has now reached the end of his agreed period in charge of the first team, and he will report to the Carrington Training Centre on Monday to find out what the club want from him next.
Also on Monday, January 12, 2026, further talks will take place concerning Carrick and Solskjaer, with director of football Jason Wilcox leading those meetings.
The club want the situation resolved as soon as possible, to give the new man the rest of the week to prepare the team for Saturday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
United only have the Premier League to focus on now, having been knocked out of both cup competitions, and so the focus for the new interim head coach will be to qualify for European football next season.
Neville: Solskjaer’s return would be like Groundhog Day
Sky Sports‘ Gary Neville on a potential return for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer:
“They put Ryan [Giggs] in charge 10 years ago, then Ole came in charge, and you go back to the old boys, then you go for a new one, then you go for more experience.
“It is almost like a cycle, like a movie we have all seen before and Groundhog Day.
“What I do think is Ole is someone who absolutely loves the club, he knows the job, he has been in the job.”
The final whistle against Brighton was met with a few boos, then stunned silence. Just where do Manchester United go from here?
One statistic flew around United’s FA Cup defeat to Brighton. 40 games – that is how long United’s season will be. Their shortest season since the 1914-15 campaign, when there were no cup games due to the First World War.
