Next Manchester United Manager Odds: Howe Favourite as Pressure Builds on Carrick
by 6 minutes read /
Manchester United are not looking for a manager yet, but the bookmakers are already pricing one up. Michael Carrick was handed the job permanently in May after steering the club back into the Champions League, yet five points from five league games and a Carabao Cup exit to Brighton have pushed him into the Premier League sack race and put the next manager market back under the spotlight.
With betting sites reacting to every result at Old Trafford, the market has shifted quickly since August. United opened the season with a 2-0 defeat at newly promoted Hull, thrashed Ipswich 5-2 with a Bruno Fernandes hat-trick, then drew 2-2 at Everton after conceding late and lost 1-0 at home to a ten-man Manchester City. A 1-1 draw at Fulham on 20 September left them 12th going into the international break.
The Carabao Cup made things worse. United led Brighton 2-0 at Old Trafford in the third round and lost 3-2, with boos at full time and Carrick taking responsibility afterwards. He has already admitted the early return is below the required standard, and with Roberto De Zerbi the only Premier League manager priced shorter for the sack, the question of who comes next is being asked far earlier than anyone at Carrington would like.
| Manager | Odds | Recommended Betting Site | Secure Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Howe | 6/4 | BetVictor | Visit Site |
| Thomas Tuchel | 7/2 | Betfred | Visit Site |
| Julian Nagelsmann | 4/1 | Bet365 | Visit Site |
| Antonio Conte | 6/1 | Betfred | Visit Site |
| Carlo Ancelotti | 12/1 | Bet365 | Visit Site |
| Gareth Southgate | 16/1 | BetVictor | Visit Site |
*Odds correct as of 22 September 2026 and subject to change. Check with bookmakers for the latest prices.
Eddie Howe (6/4) – The Available Option
Howe is the clear favourite, and the short price is mostly about availability. He stepped down at Newcastle at the end of July after almost five years in charge, having delivered the club’s first major trophy in 70 years with the 2025 Carabao Cup and two Champions League qualifications. He said he needed time to recharge after a 12th-place finish last season, but a vacancy at Old Trafford would test that resolve.
Pros:
- No compensation and no notice period. Howe could be in the building within days, which matters enormously for a mid-season appointment.
- He has already proven he can build a Champions League side in the Premier League from a difficult starting point, and his teams press with the intensity United have lacked.
Cons:
- His final season at Newcastle was flat, and there are questions over whether he has the energy for the most scrutinised job in English football straight after a burnout break.
- Howe has never managed a squad with this many big personalities, and his loyalty to a settled core did not always help Newcastle when results turned.
Thomas Tuchel (7/2) – The Serial Winner
Tuchel took England to third place at the 2026 World Cup, their best finish since 1966, and has since signed an extension through to Euro 2028. That makes him an awkward fit for a mid-season club job, but the bookmakers keep him second in the market because of his Champions League win with Chelsea and his history of instant impact.
Pros:
- Few managers have a better record of walking into a big club mid-season and winning quickly, as he did at Chelsea in 2021.
- He knows the Premier League, speaks the language of elite players and would not be intimidated by the size of the job.
Cons:
- He is under contract with the FA until 2028, and walking out on England eighteen months before a home Euros would be a public relations disaster for everyone involved.
- His club spells have tended to end in fallouts with hierarchies, which is exactly what United are trying to leave behind.
Julian Nagelsmann (4/1) – The Free Agent
Nagelsmann left the Germany job in early July after a shock World Cup exit to Paraguay in the round of 32, and he has been waiting for the right club opportunity since. Still only 39, he is the most fashionable available name on the continent and the market has him just behind Howe and Tuchel.
Pros:
- A modern, adaptable coach who has already handled a giant in Bayern Munich and won the Bundesliga there.
- He is unattached, so there is no compensation to negotiate, and he is young enough to be a long-term appointment rather than a firefighter.
Cons:
- His Bayern exit came amid reports of friction with senior players, and the German exit was messy too.
- He has never worked in England and would be learning the Premier League while trying to rescue a season.
Antonio Conte (6/1) – The Proven Fixer
Conte is currently in charge at Napoli, so he would need prising away mid-season, but his record of instant success at Chelsea, Inter and Napoli keeps him in the conversation whenever a big English job looks like opening up.
Pros:
- Nobody in the market has a better record of turning an underperforming squad into title winners inside one season.
- His demanding approach would leave no room for the drift that has crept into United’s performances.
Cons:
- He is under contract in Italy, and Conte rarely leaves quietly or cheaply.
- His three-at-the-back system and short shelf life at clubs are the same concerns supporters had with Amorim.
Carlo Ancelotti (12/1) – The Elder Statesman
Ancelotti took charge of Brazil for the 2026 World Cup and remains the most decorated manager on the board. He has won league titles in five countries and knows the Premier League from his time at Chelsea and Everton.
Pros:
- The ultimate dressing room manager, capable of handling superstar egos without public drama.
- His calm would suit a club that has lurched from one crisis to the next since 2013.
Cons:
- At 67 he is unlikely to be a long-term appointment, and United have said they want stability rather than another short-term fix.
- His international commitments would need unwinding first.
Gareth Southgate (16/1) – The Culture Builder
The former England boss remains a prominent name in the conversation because of his ties with key figures in the United hierarchy. He has been out of work since Euro 2024 and has repeatedly said he would only return for the right club project.
Pros:
- Southgate is an expert at fixing a broken institutional culture and handling extreme media pressure.
- His track record with young players would suit a squad that is increasingly built around academy graduates.
Cons:
- He has not managed a club side since Middlesbrough in 2009.
- Perceived as a conservative tactician, his appointment would face immediate pushback from a fanbase desperate for front-foot football.
Other Names in the Frame
While the top six candidates are the current focus of the market, several other coaches are being monitored.
Kieran McKenna (16/1)
The former United coach is currently unattached after leaving Ipswich and has long been admired at Carrington. He would be a popular, progressive choice, although his one season in the Premier League ended in relegation.
Darren Fletcher (20/1)
Fletcher steadied the ship as interim after Amorim’s exit and is now coaching the under-18s. He remains the obvious internal option if the board needs a caretaker again, but a permanent appointment would be a gamble given his lack of senior experience.
Fabian Hurzeler (25/1)
The Brighton head coach has just knocked United out of the Carabao Cup from 2-0 down. He represents the new wave of European coaching and is viewed as a long-term prospect rather than a mid-season rescue.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Mauricio Pochettino (25/1)
Solskjaer was the odds-on favourite when Amorim was sacked in January, but the club opted for Carrick and his price has drifted accordingly. Pochettino, now in charge of the United States, is another familiar name the market refuses to let go of.
What’s Next for Manchester United?
The board backed Carrick with a contract to 2028 four months ago, and there is no appetite at Old Trafford for another change before the season has properly begun. Summer recruitment was midfield heavy, with Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans arriving for a combined outlay approaching £150m, and the hierarchy believe the squad is stronger than the one that finished third.
The fixtures after the international break will decide how long that patience lasts. A run of results takes the heat out of both the sack race and the next manager market. Another derby-style collapse and Eddie Howe’s price will shorten further. For now, Carrick remains the man in the dugout, but the bookmakers have made it clear who they think would be next through the door if that changes.
