Manchester United are still considering a replacement for caretaker manager Michael Carrick, with AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola hoping to appoint a permanent manager.
Manchester United qualify for the Champions League with ease
As the Premier League season draws to a close, Man United are expected to finish third, six points behind nearest rivals Liverpool with two games remaining.
Manager Michael Carrick, who has already qualified for next season’s Champions League, was pleased with his side’s attitude in their recent 0-0 draw with Sunderland, despite failing to pick up all three points.
Carrick said: “I know we weren’t completely at our best today, but I think we had a really good result and some really good performances. Today was a different side for us and sometimes it’s not easy and sometimes it’s a little more challenging, but you have to get something out of the game and we did that today.”
“I thought we finished very strong and I thought we could win towards the end. The mentality of the players today was really good.”
Carrick appears to be the obvious choice for the job given that no team has collected more points than United in the Premier League since he took over in January, with INEOS expected to make the former Middlesbrough manager a permanent fixture.
Manchester United eye Iraola as Carrick replacement
This comes as reported by Caught Offside, which claims Iraola wants the job and is high on the Red Devils’ list of candidates to replace Carrick, with the Bournemouth manager set to leave the Cherries at the end of the season.
The Spaniard has enjoyed a remarkable spell at Bournemouth, going 16 games unbeaten in the Premier League and starting knocking on the door of Champions League qualification.
As things stand, the team at the Vitality Stadium are placed in sixth place, and if Aston Villa can win the Europa League they could well qualify for Europe’s elite competition.
Sky Sports pundit Sam Tai described the 43-year-old as “the best young coach in the world”, with extensive management experience having spent time in Cyprus, Spain and England.
Andoni Iraola’s managerial record | match | Points per match |
AFC Bournemouth | 125 | 1.44 |
Rayo Vallecano | 136 | 1.46 |
Mirandos | 49 | 1.45 |
AEK Larnaca | 29 | 1.62 |
However, the Englishman has been in stellar form since being appointed caretaker manager earlier this year, and it would be a strange decision not to offer Carrick the job at this stage.
Michael Carrick’s record as Manchester manager
15 games
10 wins
3 draw
2 losses
2.20 points per match
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