Despite an encouraging couple of months at Manchester United Football Club, there’s a looming sense of uncertainty currently still hanging overhead.
The Red Devils have a huge period ahead of them on and off the pitch, with multiple situations desperately needing to be resolved ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Work has already been conducted behind the scenes to improve the playing squad, which could help bolster the club’s chances of returning to Premier League glory.
However, there’s still no answer to who will be the manager to lead the Red Devils into next season, with temporary boss Michael Carrick only at Old Trafford until the end of the season.
The next couple of weeks could be crucial for the 44-year-old’s long-term future in Manchester, with news emerging over the hunt to find a new permanent boss in recent days.
Man Utd in talks to hire European boss to replace Carrick
After Ruben Amorim’s departure in January, former United star Carrick was handed the manager role on a temporary basis – subsequently doing a stellar job in recent weeks.
He’s now won seven of his first ten games at the helm in Manchester, with the impressive run of form catapulting the Red Devils into third and increasing the chances of Champions League football in 2026/27.
It still remains unclear whether the 44-year-old will be offered the job full-time this summer, but first team star Amad Diallo has already stated that he wants Carrick to remain in the role.
However, regardless of the support from the current players, the board have been conducting work elsewhere in recent weeks – leading them to the direction of Xabi Alonso.
According to FootballTransfers, the Red Devils board have been in contact with the Spaniard’s representatives over a move after he was sacked by Real Madrid in January.
The report also states that the 44-year-old is eyeing up a job in the Premier League, which could only fuel United’s attempts to secure his services this summer.
However, they will have to act quickly to land the former Bayer Leverkusen boss, with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City also keen on appointing him.
Why Alonso would be United’s very own Klopp
United going 13 years without a Premier League trophy has been painful enough, but seeing rivals Liverpool thriving in that time has only made matters worse for the fanbase.
Jürgen Klopp was the man to put the Merseyside outfit back on the map and transform them into serious Premier League and Champions League contenders.
The German won each of the aforementioned competitions once during his nine years at Anfield, even managing to avoid defeat in 77% of his games against the Red Devils.
His success with Liverpool no doubt left United fans wishing they had a manager of the 58-year-old’s calibre – especially considering their own struggles in recent seasons.
However, despite the impact of Carrick in recent weeks, the hierarchy should look to make a move for Alonso instead this summer – with the Spaniard able to be their own version of Klopp.
He could emulate the German in moving to the Premier League after previously thriving in the Bundesliga, with both winning the division during their periods at Borussia Dortmund and Leverkusen.
Like when Klopp arrived, the Red Devils are in need of a reset and fresh ideas, with the free agent manager able to make the club a dominant force once again.
His recent spell in Madrid may have been brief, but he managed to achieve a 71% win rate at the Bernabeu – but such a period was nothing on his success at the BayArena.
|
Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Games |
140 |
|
Wins |
89 |
|
Draws |
32 |
|
Defeats |
19 |
|
Goals scored |
315 |
|
Goals conceded |
155 |
|
Points per game |
2.14 |
Alonso won Leverkusen the Bundesliga for the first time in their history, even managing to do so whilst going invincible and avoiding defeat in all 34 league outings.
His ability to claim title glory will no doubt be a huge factor in his talks with United in recent weeks, which could see the club push to end their drought upon his appointment.
The fans have been starved of consistent success at Old Trafford in the last decade, with Alonso arguably the perfect man to take the reins ahead of next season.
Appointing the Spaniard over Carrick could be a controversial decision given the impact of the Englishman, but a move for the former Leverkusen boss would see the club land a serial winner.
He’s already proven in his short managerial career that he’s capable of winning against the odds – something which United fans will be wanting as quickly as possible.
Should he make the move to the Premier League and make a similar impact to Klopp in England’s top-flight – there’s no reason why the Red Devils can’t be a force to be reckoned with once again.
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