Sir Alex Ferguson tells Manchester United who to pick between Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with club to make announcement

Manchester United are in the final stages of appointing a manager until the end of the season, talkSPORT understands.

Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have both held face-to-face talks with the Old Trafford hierarchy.

Solskajer was originally viewed as the front-runner to make a sensational return to Old Trafford, as talkSPORT reported last week.

However, following the interview process, Carrick is now set to be handed control until the end of the season.

Carrick’s appointment is expected to be announced on Tuesday.

talkSPORT also understands that legendary former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson recommended Carrick over Solskjaer.

Current caretaker boss Darren Fletcher’s chances of being kept on were not helped by Sunday’s FA Cup third round defeat at home to Brighton.

However, the Scot could be part of Carrick’s coaching staff.

Carrick’s first game back in the Old Trafford dugout could be a baptism of fire with United up against local rivals Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime, live on talkSPORT.

It remains to be seen who will succeed Ruben Amorim on a permanent basis, with the Portuguese leaving the club after just 14 months in charge.

Amorim’s tumultuous reign came to an end the day after Man United’s 1-1 draw at Leeds United on January 4.

The result was not what got him the sack alone but rather his extraordinary outburst against the club’s top brass as he hit out at a perceived lack of power accelerated the decision of the club to wield the axe on Amorim.

It later emerged that relations between Amorim and director of football Jason Wilcox broke down before the manager got the boot.

Michael Carrick’s Man United record

Having joined the Red Devils as a player in 2006 from Tottenham Hotspur, Carrick enjoyed a stunning 12-year spell as a player.

He won ten major trophies with the team, including five Premier League titles and a Champions League.

Carrick embarked on his coaching career shortly after retiring in 2018, having been handed a position on Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff at Man United.

After Mourinho was sacked in December 2018, Carrick was briefly named interim boss before Solskjaer was appointed days later.

Carrick retained his place on the coaching staff under Solskjaer with the Norwegian given the top job on a permanent basis before the end of the 2018/19 season.

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Solskjaer’s best moment as Man United boss saw him guide the team to a second-placed finish in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season.

But he left the club in November 2021 due to a poor start to the 2021/22 season having failed to win a trophy during his spell there.

Before Ralf Rangnick was appointed as manager until the end of the campaign, Carrick took charge of the team for three matches, winning two.

Coach Carrick

The 44-year-old has held one permanent managerial role during his coaching career, taking charge of Championship club Middlesbrough in October 2022.

Boro were a point above the relegation zone of the second tier when he was appointed but 16 wins from his first 23 matches in charge saw the North East club rocket up the table.

They finished the 2022/23 season in the play-offs but were beaten by Coventry City in the semi-finals.

The following season saw Middlesbrough just miss out on the play-offs as they came eighth.

They finished tenth in the Championship last season and Carrick was subsequently relieved of his duties at the helm.

Since his Middlesbrough sacking, Carrick has worked as a technical observer for UEFA but a massive challenge is set to await him at Old Trafford if he gets the role.

Man United have endured another disappointing season, falling at the first hurdle in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

No European football this season means they are set for mere 40 games in 2025/26, their lowest amount of fixtures in a season since 1915, during World War One.