Julian Nagelsmann is reportedly open to replacing Michael Carrick at Manchester United, with the former Germany boss a leading candidate should the club decide to part ways with the current manager. The 39-year-old is out of work after stepping down as Germany coach following their World Cup exit.
United have yet to make a decision on Carrick's future after Wednesday's 4-1 defeat away to Como in the Champions League, which extended their winless run to seven games. Nagelsmann's name has surfaced in the fallout, along with his past comments about the club.
Nagelsmann's United connection
Nagelsmann faced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United in the 2020-21 Champions League group stage while in charge of RB Leipzig. Before the first match at Old Trafford, he spoke warmly of the experience, telling the Mail: "I've never played in Old Trafford or been there. It will be a great experience."
He added: "I watched a lot of games in the Theatre of Dreams and of Manchester United on television. Now to be part of the stadium will be perfect. Bayern Munich v Manchester United, for example, the final when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored."
Nagelsmann also recalled watching United regularly in his youth: "Ryan Giggs did a lot of big games for Manchester United, Paul Scholes, Ruud Van Nistelrooy… a lot of players. I watched nearly every game of Manchester United 10 years ago, when I was a younger guy and a player."
He referenced Sir Alex Ferguson's influence and noted the absence of fans due to the pandemic: "I know there will be no fans so that's hard. When there will be fans it will be more of a bigger experience. But if we win the game in the Theatre of Dreams it will be perfect."
His side lost that match 5-0, but his work at Leipzig earned him a move to Bayern Munich, who paid €25million (£20.9m) to secure his services. Nagelsmann spent just under two seasons in Bavaria, winning the Bundesliga title in his first campaign.
Tactical philosophy and pressing style
He then took charge of Germany, leading them to the quarter-finals of the home European Championship in 2024, before the team were eliminated by Paraguay in the round of 32 of this year's World Cup on penalties. Nagelsmann resigned shortly after, making way for Jurgen Klopp.
United fans may note his tactical approach, particularly after Bruno Fernandes criticised how Carrick set the team up against Como. Fernandes told TNT Sports: "It's a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave a little space in behind and try to get the ball in the first moment, to wait for them, to give them the ball."
He added: "But sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confident, they have so many bodies behind the ball that make you run a lot, make people get frustrated, and then obviously when you recover the ball the legs are, and the brain, much more difficult to make it work."
Pressing is central to Nagelsmann's philosophy, as he explained in an interview with the Guardian in 2025: "I am not too keen on tackles. I much prefer us to win the ball by pressuring the opponent into a mistake, that we cut off his angles so that he makes a mistake when he tries to find a team-mate with a difficult pass."
He continued: "And then, when we get the ball, we need to be quick in order to be able to create a chance and then it's better and the player is fresher when he hasn't had to make five tackles before starting an attack."
Once considered one of the brightest managerial prospects, Nagelsmann's stock has arguably fallen, but at 39 with experience in high-pressure roles, he may see himself as the answer to United's problems.
