Michael Owen says there isn’t a ‘standout’ manager currently available to Manchester United and Michael Carrick could be a ‘good choice’ to take charge until the end of the season.
The Red Devils brought Amorim’s turbulent 14-month tenure to a halt on Monday and the search has begun for the seventh permanent manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Amorim appeared to pave the way for his impending departure following United’s 1-1 draw with Leeds as he went on an explosive rant seemingly directed at the board, in which he underlined his desire to be ‘manager’ and ‘not just a coach’.
The Portuguese also suggested he would be prepared to walk when his contract was up at the end of the 2026/27 season – a decision that was ultimately taken out of his hands.
It means United are effectively managerless ahead of their trip to Burnley on Wednesday, with Under-18 boss Darren Fletcher taking over the reins on an interim basis for the Turf Moor contest.
Asked if he felt it was the ‘right decision’ for United to part ways with Amorim, Owen told Premier League Productions: ‘I think it was, yeah, I think eventually it was.
‘I think this type of scenario or decision has been coming for a while but Ruben Amorim has basically given Manchester United’s hierarchy all the tools to say, “Right, we’ve had enough!”
‘I think they were probably 50-50 on whether to keep going anyway. The recent results have been in and out but certainly not enough to sack him in recent days.
‘It’s certainly what has happened off the pitch and it’s a little bit like what happened with Enzo Maresca not so many days ago.
‘Amorim has just given them all the tools they needed to say, “Right, okay, you’ve had your time, it’s not going well, you’re now saying things that are detrimental to the club, we’ve had enough… move on.”‘
A host of high-profile names have been linked with the vacant Old Trafford job in the intervening days, from Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner to ex-England manager Gareth Southgate.
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But Owen believes Carrick has proven himself to be an extremely capable manager at Middlesbrough, who sit second in the Championship, and could be a suitable fit at least until the end of the current season.
Carrick briefly served as caretaker manager the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking in late 2021 – overseeing a draw with Chelsea and wins over Villarreal and Arsenal.
‘There’s lots of different options I guess, there’s no real standouts I would say. Darren Fletcher is obviously going to take immediate control,’ the former United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and England striker added.
‘Maybe a Michael Carrick could be in the equation, certainly could be until the end of the season. Who knows?
‘There will be a few managers that Manchester United have got their eyes on but are still in a job at the moment so it might be a little bit tricky.
‘There are some great managers in the Premier League. I’m looking at the managers of Fulham [Marco Silva], Bournemouth [Andoni Iraola], Crystal Palace [Oliver Glasner], maybe those types of managers could be earmarked.’
Owen, who played alongside Carrick for three years at Old Trafford, went on: ‘You’ve then got people out of work. We all know that Gareth Southgate is close friends with Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
‘Then we’ve got people from outside. Roberto De Zerbi has got a huge reputation.
‘Mauricio Pochettino… Manchester United have always looked at him but surely he’s not going to leave as head coach of the USA before the World Cup.
‘So there’s lots of names out there who could be linked.’
‘Immediately, I would say somebody like Michael Carrick could be a good choice,’ the 2001 Ballon d’Or winner continued.
‘Kieran McKenna at Ipswich… another young, talented manager. Who knows?
‘As I say, there’s not one manager that smacks me in the face to says that they’re the obvious candidate.
‘I think there are pros and cons surrounding quite a few of them at the moment.’
