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Enzo Maresca and seven other candidates to be next Man United manager
Jan 05 2026 11:17 · By onefootball.com · 44 Reads
Ruben Amorim has been sacked as Manchester United head coach after 14 months in charge.
The Portuguese manager led the Red Devils to last season’s Europa League final but lost the showpiece match to Tottenham Hotspur, meaning they missed out on a Champions League place.
United finished a shocking 15th in the Premier League last season and Amorim leaves on Monday with the team sixth in the table following disappointing draws at home to Wolves and away to Leeds.
Darren Fletcher will take caretaker charge of the team for the trip to Burnley on Wednesday as the search for a new boss begins. Enzo Maresca , Oliver Glasner and Xavi Hernandez are among the frontrunners.
The Italian coach departed Chelsea last week after 18 months, following a rapid fallout with the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge. Maresca has been linked with becoming the next manager at Manchester City, should Pep Guardiola leave, but could Maresca actually take charge on the red side of Manchester?
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Enzo Maresca left Chelsea last week (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Wire)
Prior to Maresca’s departure, Crystal Palace manager Glasner was the bookies' favourite to replace Amorim and remains in contention. The Austrian coach led Palace to FA Cup glory, Palace’s first-ever major piece of silverware, and a 12th-place finish in the Premier League last seaosn.
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Oliver Glasner led Crystal Palace to FA Cup glory last season (PA Wire)
Former United midfielder Fletcher, now the coach of the Under-18s, takes charge on an interim basis for the match against Burnley on Wednesday night. Much like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2019, could a run of positive results mean Fletcher takes charge on a permanent basis?
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Darren Fletcher is the interim manager (Manchester United via Getty Imag)
Another ex-United midfielder in the running, Carrick impressed in his first full-time position in management at Middlesbrough, leading them to the EFL Cup semi-finals and the play-offs, but was sacked last summer after a 10th-place finish. Carrick previously took caretaker charge when Solskjaer was sacked in 2021.
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Michael Carrick was sacked as Middlesbrough boss last summer (Ian Hodgson/PA Wire)
The World Cup winner and former United defender most recently managed Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, winning the domestic double, but was sacked in September.
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Laurent Blanc is in the running (REUTERS)
The former Barcelona manager is out of work after losing his job at the Nou Camp in May 2024, having guided his boyhood club to the La Liga title in 2023. He has not coached in Europe outside of Spain.
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Xavi left Barcelona in 2024 (Fermin Rodriguez)
Van Nistelrooy, an ex-United striker, previously worked as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag before taking caretaker charge when his fellow Dutchman was sacked last season. He finished his interim tenure with three wins and one draw, but was unimpressive as Leicester City boss last season as the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League .
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Ruud van Nistelrooy took temporary charge last year (Getty Images)
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Gareth Southgate led England to the World Cup semi-finals and two European Championship finals (PA Wire)
The former England manager has been out of work since Euro 2024, when he led the Three Lions to their second major final in three years. Long linked with the top job at Old Trafford, Southgate has noted that a career away from football management may be his calling.