Michael Carrick is clinging to his last chance to save his position, at a time when Eddie Howe is emerging as a preferred candidate for Manchester United management to lead the team, amid declining results and mounting pressure on the technical staff.
The club management decided to keep Carrick in his position to lead the team against Chelsea, next Saturday, despite the 3-0 loss to Bournemouth in the English Premier League, and the 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League.
United have achieved only two victories in the last 12 matches, and also exited the English League Cup against Brighton, ranking sixteenth in the league, only one point behind the relegation zone.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Jason Wilcox, director of football at Manchester United, is leading the trend towards giving Carrick an opportunity to correct the course, but he puts Howe, the former coach of Newcastle United, at the forefront of his options, if a decision is made to change the coaching staff.
Data indicate that Howe, who is 48 years old, wants to take over the job at Old Trafford, which enhances his transfer chances if the administration makes its decision to dispense with Carrick.
But hiring an amateur will not be free; Manchester United will have to pay about 3 million pounds sterling to Newcastle, as compensation for the remaining terms in the coach’s contract, in addition to a limited additional amount to sign members of his technical staff, led by his assistant Jason Tindall.
A contractual settlement was concluded when Howe left Newcastle, at the end of last July, ensuring that the club would receive compensation if he moved to a new destination.
On the other hand, Christopher Wevel, director of contracts at Manchester United, is pushing for the option of German Julian Nagelsmann, the former coach of Bayern Munich and the German national team, which reflects the presence of more than one trend within the club regarding the identity of the next coach.
The Chelsea match will be an important test for Carrick's future, before facing Roma in the Champions League, then Aston Villa in the league.
These matches may give United's management additional time to evaluate the situation and make its decision, at a time when the coach's survival does not seem guaranteed if the negative results continue.
Harry Kane, the captain of the English national team and Bayern Munich striker, won the Ballon d'Or, opening the door to speculation about the possibility of granting him the title "Sir", after the British government indicated that he deserved an official honor equivalent to his historical achievement, as the first English player to win the award since 2001.
A spokesman for the British Prime Minister praised Kane's achievement, considering that winning the most prestigious individual award in football represents an exceptional milestone for English football, and reflects the player's role model for the younger generations in the country, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.
The spokesman said that the Prime Minister congratulated Kane on the win, adding that his coronation, 25 years after the last English win, which was achieved by Michael Owen, represents an exceptional achievement, especially since the award returned to an English player after a long wait.
He also expressed his hope that this achievement would be a prelude to celebrating a new title with the England national team in the near future, in reference to the team’s ambitions for the 2028 European Championship, which England is hosting jointly with Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
When the spokesman was asked whether the Prime Minister supported granting Kane a knighthood, he pointed out that the player had done a lot for English football, and that this moment represented an exceptional occasion for him and the country, but he refrained from pre-empting the official procedures related to awarding medals and honours.
British medals are awarded based on recommendations that can be submitted by ministries and government agencies, as well as individuals, before being considered by the relevant committee. The Prime Minister alone does not have the decision to grant the title, as the process is subject to specific official procedures.
Kane was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire, with the rank of Member, after his contributions to the England national team reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Football players usually receive a knighthood after they retire, as happened with David Beckham and Gareth Southgate, who received the honor last year.
Kane was crowned with the Golden Ball during the ceremony held in London on Monday evening, ahead of Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, the Real Madrid striker, and Spanish Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona player. He became the fifth English player to win the award, after prominent names in the history of the game, including Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen.
Although winning the Ballon d'Or strengthens his position among the most prominent stars in English football, his obtaining the title of "Sir" is still an unresolved possibility, pending any official recommendation and decision within the British honors system.
Manolo Gonzalez, coach of the Spanish football team Espanyol, was dismissed on Tuesday evening, hours after his team was eliminated from the Spanish Cup in the first round, from a team active in the fourth division.
Gonzez (47 years old) was already under pressure, after Espanyol started the season by losing 6 of the 10 league matches it played, leaving the team in eighteenth place in the Spanish League club standings.
Yesterday's 3-4 loss, after extra time, to Sestao River, was the straw that broke the camel's back.
The club said in a statement: “Espanyol FC has decided to end Manolo Gonzalez’s tenure as coach of the team.”
The statement added: “The two parties decided to separate after the coach took over coaching the team for more than 3 seasons and 107 official matches, a period in which the coach left his personal and professional mark, whether on the field or in the team’s daily preparations.”
Gonzalez took over coaching Espanyol in March 2024, and led it directly to the Spanish League.
No replacement has been announced yet.
Espanyol will meet in its next match with Villarreal, the day after tomorrow, Friday.
