Manchester United are expected to speed up the process of appointing a new interim manager, 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 club bosses and prepared for work. Ski Sports News Carrick is said to have been particularly impressive in those meetings, but there is also an awareness of how popular Solskjaer was during his previous spell as head coach.
The current short-term interim head coach, Darren Fletcher, said afterward 2-1 loss to Brighton in the FA Cup that he has now reached the end of his contracted first-team spell and will report to Carrington Training Center on Monday to find out what the club want from him going forward.
Also on Monday, further talks will take place regarding Carrick and Solskjaer, with director of football Jason Wilcox leading the meetings. The club want the situation resolved as soon as possible to give the new man the rest of the week to prepare the squad for Saturday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
United can now only focus on the Premier League, having been relegated from both cup competitions, so the focus for the new interim head coach will be to qualify for European football next season.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Darren Fletcher reacts to Manchester United’s FA Cup defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford
Neville: Solskjaer 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 and you go back to the old guys, then you go for the new one, then you go for more experience.
Expected Premier League Table, by Expected Points (kPts)
“It’s almost like a cycle, like a movie we’ve all seen before and Groundhog Day.”
“What I think is that Ole is someone who absolutely loves the club, knows the business, has been in the business.
40-game season: What’s left to play?
The final whistle against Brighton was met with several whistles and then stunned silence. Just where are Manchester United going?
One statistic was flying around United’s FA Cup defeat to Brighton. 40 games – that’s how long United’s season will last. Their shortest season since the 1914-15 campaign, where there were no cup games due to the First World War.
Defeat to Grimsby in the second round of the Carabao Cup, followed by a first defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup, was also the first time United had been knocked out of two domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle since the 1981–82 season.
That wasn’t the only déjà vu United experienced on Sunday night. The second was Danny Welbeck. The last time United had 45 games or less in a season was 11 years ago, when Welbeck scored the FA Cup winner in Arsenal’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford. Sounds familiar.
And with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick the two main contenders for the interim job at United – who have held those positions in the past – it’s one sign of the past too many. So what does the future hold?
Saturday, January 17 at 11:00 a.m
Start at 12:30 p.m
Monastery Utd next five matches
- January 17: Man City (H) – Premier League, kick-off at 12:30 p.m. live on Ski Sports
- January 25: Arsenal (A) – Premier League, kick-off 16.30, live on Ski Sports
- February 1: Fulham (H) – Premier League, kick-off at 2 p.m., live on Ski Sports
- February 7: Tottenham (H) – Premier League, start at 12.30
- February 10: West Ham (A) – Premier League, kick-off at 20:15