Eddie Howe Considered for Manchester United Role Amid Carrick Pressure
Eddie Howe has been out of work only a matter of weeks, but his name is already back in the Premier League conversation – and at one of its biggest addresses.
The former Newcastle United manager has been without a club since his abrupt decision to step down midway through preseason, a shock ending to a spell in which he dragged Newcastle from the fringes of a relegation scrap to European contention and delivered the club’s first domestic trophy in decades.
Now his next move is being talked about at Old Trafford.
On Thursday, Indy Kaila reported on X that Howe would be open to an approach from Manchester United if the club decides to part ways with Michael Carrick after a stuttering start to the campaign. The report states that United’s hierarchy is prepared to act if results do not improve, with frustration said to be rising over an unconvincing opening to the season and early struggles in domestic cup competition.
“Manchester United prepared to act if poor form continues; Eddie Howe understood to be open to approach,” Kaila wrote.
For the moment, Carrick remains in charge and there is no vacancy to fill. The dugout at Old Trafford is his, and any change would depend on United’s form sliding further. But the tone of the report is clear: patience in the boardroom is thinning.
According to the same report, Howe would be “more than willing” to listen if United formally made contact. It adds: “Manchester United's owners are prepared to make an immediate change in the dugout should the club's current form persist, according to sources. It is understood that Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe would be willing to take charge at Old Trafford if formally approached.”
The wording is clumsy – Howe is no longer Newcastle’s manager – but the implication is obvious enough. If United call, Howe is ready to pick up.
Such a move would throw him straight back into the Premier League spotlight just months after leaving St James’ Park, and into the glare of Champions League nights with the Red Devils still competing on Europe’s biggest stage this season.
Howe’s stock remains high. He took over Newcastle in late 2021 with the club hovering near the bottom of the table and rebuilt both team and mood, turning them into consistent contenders for European qualification. His exit this summer cleared the way for Matthias Jaissle, who has started to reshape Newcastle around a heavily reworked squad following several major departures and arrivals.
The question now hangs over Old Trafford: how long do United stick with Carrick, and how tempting does Howe find the prospect of returning so quickly, and at a club of that scale, to the Premier League front line?
