Manchester United are contemplating a move for Eddie Howe should Michael Carrick be relieved of his managerial duties at Old Trafford. Following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival as co-owner in 2024, the club aimed to establish a British foundation, leading to Carrick's appointment as the Ineos era's first permanent British manager. However, after enduring a troublesome campaign, Carrick's standing is under intense scrutiny heading into Saturday's clash with Chelsea, prompting United's hierarchy to assess the 48-year-old Howe, who has been out of work since leaving Newcastle United in the summer.
Howe has established a strong reputation for developing talent and building a winning culture on the training pitch. After initially taking over Bournemouth in January 2009 amid the threat of League Two relegation, he guided them into the Premier League by 2015 before leaving in 2020. During his subsequent tenure at Newcastle starting in 2021, he secured Champions League qualification twice and lifted the 2025 EFL Cup—the club's first major silverware in 56 years. Howe also generated significant transfer profits through the sales of Nathan Ake, Callum Wilson, Tyrone Mings, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Alexander Isak, while overseeing the international progress of Dan Burn, Lewis Hall, and Tino Livramento into senior England caps.
Despite his accomplishments, the prospect of appointing Howe has elicited a mixed response. Certain fans on social media have questioned whether he is a prominent enough name, while former players Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt withheld their endorsement on their podcast—having previously supported him when Ruben Amorim was sacked in January. Conversely, former captain Roy Keane, alongside Darren Bent, Gareth Barry, and Jack Wilshere, has publicly backed the former Newcastle boss. Any pursuit also involves financial obligations: United would need to settle Carrick's contract alongside his staff, and Newcastle negotiated a sliding compensation package that began at £6m, has now halved to £3m, and will expire before the season's conclusion.
A critical question surrounds how Howe would operate inside United's modern hierarchy, which features chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Jason Wilcox, and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell. While Howe had extensive departmental influence at Bournemouth alongside Richard Hughes and Neill Blake, and worked closely with Dan Ashworth, Amanda Staveley, and Mehrdad Ghodoussi on Tyneside, he has expressed comfort collaborating with sporting directors. Wilcox is believed to back Howe, whereas Vivell prefers former Bayern Munich and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. Final authority rests with Ratcliffe and co-chairs Joel and Avram Glazer, who must determine who can unite a squad assembled by six different permanent managers following growing fan disillusionment that saw Wilcox targeted during a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth.