Julian Nagelsmann’s position with Man Utd is clear as more club leaders show their support.
Julian Nagelsmann is reportedly gaining more support from Manchester United’s leaders to take over as the new head coach after Michael Carrick. Both Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe, who are currently without a job after leaving RB Leipzig and Newcastle this summer, are seen as the top candidates to replace Carrick.
United has now gone eight games without a win, and after their 3-0 loss to Bournemouth on Sunday, the club’s decision-makers have been discussing whether to let Carrick go and who to bring in as his replacement. The choice of who to hire seems to be the biggest challenge right now.
According to The Times’ Paul Hirst, there’s growing support within the club for Nagelsmann to become their next head coach. Sporting director Jason Wilcox prefers someone with Premier League experience like Howe, who managed Bournemouth before Newcastle. But the head of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, is more impressed by Nagelsmann and wants him to take over instead. Hirst also says Howe is still interested and would consider the job if offered.
Back in October 2020, before coaching RB Leipzig against United at Old Trafford in the Champions League, Nagelsmann shared some sweet memories of watching Manchester United growing up. He said it would be “perfect” to manage a game at their stadium. He recalled watching many United games as a young player and admired Sir Alex Ferguson’s long, successful time at the club. He also mentioned that playing without fans during COVID-19 made things different, but having fans back would make it a bigger experience.
Earlier in 2020, Nagelsmann told The Independent he’s interested in managing in the Premier League but knows it’s very tough. He also mentioned wanting to improve his Spanish while considering clubs in Germany and Spain. He said managing in England is demanding, as seen in comments from Klopp and Guardiola about the intense schedule and pressure.
Nagelsmann also pointed out that at big clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona, fans, the media, and decision-makers don’t give managers much time to settle in. This could be important at United, where fans want a top manager who can lead a long-term project — something Nagelsmann clearly wants at his next job.
Journalist Ben Jacobs reported in April that Nagelsmann was interested in talking with United about the head coach job, even while he was coaching Germany’s national team.