Man Utd co-owners meet at Carrington as Michael Carrick prepares for first match
By Simon Peach, Press Association Chief Football Writer
Manchester United co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer met at Carrington on Thursday as Michael Carrick gears up to face Manchester City in his first match as head coach.
Ruben Amorim’s sacking last week – after 14 underwhelming and increasingly acrimonious months – saw Darren Fletcher temporarily parachuted in before another ex-Red Devils midfielder took the reins.
Carrick was named United boss for the remainder of the season on Tuesday and two days later, Ratcliffe was in town along with Joel and Avram Glazer for a scheduled executive committee meeting.
The Press Association understands the club moved it to Manchester to ensure leadership were onsite to support the new manager and minimise disruption ahead of his first game in charge.
The trio arrived on the back of fraught fortnight at United as anger bubbles within the fanbase, with The 1958 group planning a protest against the ownership ahead of the Premier League home match against Fulham on February 1.
Saturday lunchtime’s Manchester derby against City at Old Trafford comes first and a trip to Arsenal, providing Carrick with an unenviable start to a job that former team-mate Gary Neville does not believe should extend beyond this season.
“I hope he does really well,” Neville said. “There cannot be any consideration that Michael takes the job beyond this season, for Michael and for the club.
“If he wins every game, look, we could be sat here in the season where he’s done unbelievably well, and we’re always thinking the fans are up and they’re in the Champions League places, fifth or whatever. It could happen if there’s a good run and we could all be getting swayed with it.
Michael Carrick is back 🤝
Our former captain is our Head Coach for the remainder of 2025/26 🔴— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 13, 2026
“I honestly feel like (you have to look at others) at the end of the season when you’ve got (Mauricio) Pochettino, (Thomas) Tuchel and (Carlo) Ancelotti.
“I’ve said (Brazil boss) Ancelotti. I just feel purely because he’s 66 years of age, he’s got probably the best job in the world right now. He’s probably got one job left at club level.
“If there’s one person who’s got the patience, the composure, the experience of the Premier League.”
United decided to give Carrick the short-term role in order to allow director of football Jason Wilcox to undergo a thorough recruitment process over the coming months.
Former captain Roy Keane mentioned Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone and Paris St Germain head coach Luis Enrique as potential options, and snapped back when Neville suggested the latter was unrealistic on the Stick to Football podcast.
“But isn’t that bizarre, we’re talking about options and you’re ruling people out,” Keane said. “But United should be thinking ‘let’s try and get the best of the best’.”
Keane does not feel those high standards have been reached when forming Carrick’s coaching staff.
Steve Holland, who was Gareth Southgate’s with England, has joined a backroom team that also includes Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans.
The former worked with Carrick at Middlesbrough – where both had spells as manager – and Evans was part of Fletcher’s staff, having recently left his role as United’s loans manager.
Keane said: “(Carrick) is on the beach two weeks ago with Jonny Evans.
“Jonny Evans leaves Man United four or five weeks ago as a loans manager and then Fletch gives him a job, strangely enough, has two games.
“Fletch goes and Carrick gives him a job. Great, isn’t it? We should all go to Barbados for a week.
“You’re on about getting your coaching staff in, we’re praising one of them saying he’s experienced (in Holland) and then we just let the other two go, Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans.
“What has Jonny Evans done to be a coach of Man United’s first team? He left the job four weeks ago, loans manager and ironically comes back working with the first team. That’s a big step up, isn’t it?”
