Ratcliffe favors English manager as United considers Carrick successors

Manchester United is planning to part ways with Michael Carrick after a poor start to the season, with the club currently in the Premier League relegation zone. The club has identified potential successors, and four managers are said to be receptive to taking charge at Old Trafford.

Eddie Howe, who left Newcastle United in the summer and is currently without a club, is among the leading options. United has spoken with people representing him. Julian Nagelsmann, formerly Germany’s coach, is also considered a candidate and is interested in working in England, though some at United have reservations about his limited background in England’s top division.

Antonio Conte is also said to be willing to take the job, with intermediaries conveying his interest to United’s co-owners, INEOS. Mauricio Pochettino, currently in charge of the United States national team, is likewise described as eager to lead the club.

Ratcliffe is expected to have final approval over the appointment and is said to prefer an English manager, believing the country’s biggest club should have a homegrown boss. That preference could put Howe at the front of his choices. Conte has won the Premier League with Chelsea, while Pochettino previously managed Tottenham Hotspur.