‘Clear favourite’ to become next Man United manager emerges

Darren Fletcher’s tenure is set to come to an end

A candidate to become the next short-term manager of Manchester United is said to now be in pole position to take over at Old Trafford, within the coming days.

The Red Devils have been without an official manager for the last seven days, when club leadership opted to remove Ruben Amorim from his position as head coach.

The club’s last two fixtures have been overseen by retired midfielder Darren Fletcher, and after a draw to Burnley and an FA Cup defeat to Brighton, Fletcher now looks set to see his tenure end.

As was widely reported last week, the Red Devils aim to appoint a caretaker manager for the next six months to allow for a permanent manager to be put in place by summer.

Ex-players Ole Gunner Solksjaer and Michael Carrick both held face-to-face talks with the club last week, and a favourite has now reportedly been chosen.

According to reporters from BBC Sport and The Athletic, Michael Carrick has emerged as the favourite for that short term role.

Carrick has plenty of top level managerial experience, from a three-year spell with Middlesbrough, but if appointed by the Red Devils, this would be the biggest step of the Englishman’s managerial career.

With Championship side Middlesbrough, the 44-year-old was nominated for the division’s manager of the year award during just his first season in charge, after carrying Boro away from a relegation fight and into the play-off spots. The following season Middlesbrough made the EFL Cup semi-finals.