New boss appoints Jonathan Woodgate and Steve Holland in coaching staff but Darren Fletcher rejects role
Manchester United have confirmed Michael Carrick as interim coach for the rest of the season.
The former United midfielder and Middlesbrough manager edged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the club’s choice to take the reins until the end of the season. He was pictured on Tuesday morning arriving at the club’s Carrington training ground.
Carrick has appointed Jonathan Woodgate, his former assistant at Middlesbrough, to his coaching staff. Woodgate worked with Carrick for three years at the Championship club, before coaching in his own right at the club as well as at Bournemouth. Also handed a role in the coaching staff is Steve Holland, who was an assistant to former England manager Gareth Southgate and recently the manager of Japanese club Yokohama F Marinos.
Darren Fletcher was offered a role in his staff but has decided to focus on his work with the U-18s.
The 44-year-old Carrick convinced United’s hierarchy that he was the best man for the job after face-to-face interviews conducted with him on Thursday and then Solskjaer on Saturday last week.
With only Premier League football left for United to play after exiting the FA Cup with a defeat against Brighton, Carrick’s mandate will be to qualify the club for European football with 17 games left to play. United are currently eighth in the table but only three points off the top four.
The new interim coach’s first task is to take charge against Pep Guardiola in the Manchester derby on Saturday.
