Manchester United look set to place an interim manager in charge of the first team for the third time in just over five years, having first done so with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2018 and then Ralf Rangnick in 2021.
Ruben Amorim was dramatically sacked on January 5 after falling out with club bosses and failing to demonstrate sufficient progress with the team, leaving United needing to find a seventh permanent boss since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013.
However, just as they did when Jose Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were dismissed, the Red Devils appear set to hire an interim boss to oversee matters until the end of the season, at which point a full-time replacement for Amorim will be brought in.
There are three clear candidates for the position, all of whom have strong ties to the club: Solskjaer, Darren Fletcher, and Michael Carrick.
AllSportsPeople assesses which of the three represents the best short-term option.
MORE: Amorim's record compared to post-Ferguson managers | Why Amorim lost his job
Man United interim manager options: Best candidates
Below are the current best options for United as they look for someone to take charge of the first team for the remainder of 2025/26.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Widespread reports in England made it clear that Solskjaer was keen on the idea of returning to United for another crack at the manager job.
This time, he would almost certainly be brought on for an interim role only and then leave at the end of the season, regardless of the team's results. Solskjaer got the permanent job in 2019 after a brilliant spell as temporary boss, but he was unable to build on that early promise, and most supporters were desperate for a change by the time he was sacked in November 2021. United's powerbrokers won't want to repeat that mistake.
Still, he would be a popular choice as interim manager given that positive previous spell, and having left Besiktas in August, his appointment would not accrue any compensation costs.
Likelihood: 7/10
Suitability: 6/10
Darren Fletcher
Fletcher will take charge of the team for the league game at Burnley and the FA Cup match at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, which effectively gives him an audition for the interim role.
Like Solskjaer and Carrick, Fletcher enjoyed a hugely successful playing career at United and has been part of their coaching set-up since 2020, initially working with the youth sides before taking on a role as technical director.
Fletcher is considered a knowledgeable and astute coach and someone with a degree of gravitas at the club, but his lack of experience in management at senior level means he is somewhat up against it to prove he is the right man to oversee matters until the end of the season.
Likelihood: 5/10
Suitability: 4/10
Michael Carrick
Carrick joined United's coaching staff under Mourinho after retiring at the end of a glittering playing career in 2018. He was kept on by Solskjaer, and, when the Norwegian was dismissed, Carrick took temporary charge of the team, beating Villarreal and Arsenal before leaving the club once Ralf Rangnick came on board.
The ex-midfielder is another who knows Old Trafford well and has experienced two very different styles of management. His time at Middlesbrough was a mixed bag. He got them very close to promotion, as well as the semifinals of the Carabao Cup, but things went backwards in his second season. Nevertheless, the former England international showed plenty of signs of being a promising tactician.
Like Solskjaer, Carrick is unattached and would not require a compensation payment. He has a good chance of getting the role, but he would need to convince the club's hierarchy to back him over the more experienced option in Solskjaer, or Fletcher, the man already in situ.
Likelihood: 6/10
Suitability: 6/10
Why Man United want to hire an interim manager
On face value, United going for another stop-gap solution as manager would seem strange. There is around half of the season left to play, they are firmly in the hunt for Champions League qualification, and they could still win the FA Cup. The campaign is far from a write-off.
However, there are justifiable reasons why they might wait before appointing their next permanent manager.
For one thing, parachuting Amorim into the job just didn't pay off. The Portuguese wanted to wait until the end of 2024/25 before taking over as Erik ten Hag's successor, but he was told it was "now or never" and chose to take the plunge. It's fair to say this did not work out too well for anyone concerned.
MORE: Ruben Amorim timeline at Man United, from Rashford clash to Leeds rant
It is also worth remembering that, although his overall time in charge was no great success, Solskjaer was a very good temporary boss when hired for that role in December 2018. After the toxicity of Mourinho's final months in charge, Solskjaer restored dressing-room morale, reconnected a disenchanted fan base, and got the players to enjoy playing more expressive, attacking football again. They won 14 of their first 17 games under the Norwegian, including a famous 3-1 Champions League victory at Paris Saint-Germain that resulted in an ill-advised clamour for United to hire him permanently. Their form only really began to tail off once talk of him getting the full-time job took hold.
Going for another temporary boss would give United the chance to pursue their objectives for the remainder of this season — specifically, Champions League qualification and winning the FA Cup — while taking care to identify the best long-term candidate and then appointing that person in the summer, when far more managers will be more readily available as contracts with club sides and World Cup teams come to an end.