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Manchester United are said to have taken Andoni Iraola out of the running for their permanent managerial vacancy left by Ruben Amorim's departure. The move further bolsters interim boss Michael Carrick's prospects of landing the role on a full-time basis.
United have intentionally held off on making a decision about who will take charge next season and beyond, choosing not to rush into offering a permanent deal while the campaign was still in progress.
However, Carrick's influence since his return to Old Trafford in January — having secured Champions League qualification with three matches still to play — has made the 44-year-old Englishman the frontrunner for the position.
Iraola, who became available this summer after choosing to depart Bournemouth, had been the only credible alternative to emerge during the search. Yet even the Spaniard has now dropped out of contention, with the Daily Mail reporting he is "no longer under consideration."
Carrick's managerial track record — his sole permanent role to date being at Middlesbrough in the EFL Championship — hardly suggests top-level experience.
Yet his 15 years at Old Trafford as a player, captain, and assistant coach carry significant weight, and the club's hierarchy has been "hugely impressed" by the results he has delivered and the manner in which he has "galvanized" a previously misfiring squad. He was already the leading candidate before locking up a return to Champions League football, which may have all but confirmed his appointment.
According to The Athletic, club officials are preparing to formally put forward a permanent contract for Carrick at an upcoming meeting with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Why Man Utd Will Not Hire Andoni Iraola
Iraola has performed remarkably over three seasons at Bournemouth, with the Cherries potentially on course for Champions League football themselves if results go their way over the next three weeks.
His high-energy style of play could theoretically suit the Red Devils well. However, what may work against Iraola is his limited experience at the elite level, having built his reputation as a developer of clubs after previously punching above his weight with Rayo Vallecano in Spain. That quality does not always translate when the stakes are higher and the margin for error is smaller — as United discovered with David Moyes, Chelsea with Graham Potter, and Arsenal with Unai Emery.
Iraola is reportedly a top target for Crystal Palace as they look to replace Oliver Glasner.
While Carrick's managerial résumé is considerably thinner than Iraola's, his deep immersion in Manchester United's winning culture over many years carries enormous value, as evidenced by the transformation of the same group of players who had struggled under Ruben Amorim.
Skeptics may push back on that notion, but United's most reliable manager in terms of Premier League finishes in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has been Ole Gunnar Solskjær — third place in 2019–20 and second in 2020–21. It is also worth noting that Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane both achieved extraordinary success at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively without any prior senior managerial experience.