Manchester United have ruled out Ruud van Nistelrooy as a candidate to take interim charge until the end of the season, leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick as the two leading contenders. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox spoke to both former players on Tuesday and will hold further meetings before deciding who returns to Old Trafford.
Darren Fletcher is currently in a caretaker role and will manage Wednesday's match at Burnley. Speaking ahead of the game, Fletcher said: 'I've had a conversation [about the future] and the focus was on this game. I've got a game to prepare for, a training session to organise, and I've been speaking to the players. The focus has been on the Burnley match, and we'll speak after the game.'
Solskjaer, who took interim charge in December 2018 after Jose Mourinho's sacking and won his first eight matches, emerged as the leading contender after being spotted in Cheshire on Tuesday. Carrick, who also served as interim boss for three matches after Solskjaer's departure in November 2021, is receiving serious consideration following a respectable stint at Middlesbrough.
Van Nistelrooy, who returned to United as an assistant under Erik ten Hag in summer 2024 and took charge of three matches before Ruben Amorim's arrival, will not be offered the role again. The legendary striker also left Leicester City by mutual consent after their relegation and previously coached PSV in the Netherlands.
Whoever gets the job will face a daunting run of fixtures, starting with the Manchester derby against City, followed by a trip to league leaders Arsenal at the end of January. United also face Brighton in the FA Cup third round this weekend, for which Fletcher is likely to remain in charge.
