Manchester United's new manager has five candidates! Carrick only focuses on the next match, Emery is also a competitor.

According to the British "The Sun," Manchester United will choose one person from Carrick and five other coaches to serve as the official head coach next season. This list includes current coach Carrick, Aston Villa's Emery, Crystal Palace's Glasner, Bournemouth's Iraola, Germany's national team coach Nagelsmann, and De Zerbi, who recently left Marseille.

The 44-year-old Carrick has achieved unexpectedly good results in his coaching role, suffering his first defeat only against Newcastle United, and still maintains a good position in the league standings for the top four, likely leading the team back to the Champions League. However, ESPN reports that some members of Manchester United's board are not fully convinced of his permanent appointment, so they are also considering other coaching candidates.

Of course, Manchester United is also aware that all their candidate coaches have their own shortcomings. For example, this week's opponent Villa's head coach Emery, his performance since coaching Villa has been second only to Manchester City's Guardiola and Arsenal's Arteta during the same period.

However, Emery's ability to coach top clubs is doubted, as his achievements at Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain did not meet expectations. There are also concerns that Emery demands full control over the team and transfers, which does not align with the operational model established after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's acquisition.

Crystal Palace manager Glasner was initially hailed as the top favorite for Manchester United's new coach early in the season, but as the team's performance declined and conflicts with management arose, he seems to have become increasingly unpopular. The Austrian's only advantage may be that he has announced he will not renew his contract after this season, allowing him to join any new team free of charge.

Bournemouth's Spanish coach Iraola is also nearing the end of his contract, but he has never coached any major club, which is not beneficial for becoming Manchester United's head coach, as the internal relationships at Old Trafford are very complex, and lacking relevant experience may lead to difficulties, similar to Ruben Amorim.

De Zerbi, who recently left Marseille, faces the same issue; he frequently had conflicts with players and management at the French club, which is clearly not favorable for Ratcliffe. There are also rumors that De Zerbi might take over the Tottenham Hotspur coaching job.

After the World Cup, Manchester United might even consider poaching Germany's head coach Nagelsmann, who is recommended by the club's transfer director Christoph Vivell. However, Manchester United would need to persuade him to abandon his contract with the German Football Association, which lasts until the end of 2028, which is not an easy task.

When asked about the biggest challenge during his tenure, Carrick said: "We always think about what the next step should be, regardless of the match result—win, draw, or loss—the key is the reaction, the atmosphere within the team, how to make the best use of existing conditions, the motivation for the next match, and how to push the team forward. I know we experienced our first defeat, and it does feel somewhat different. But failures are inevitable; looking across the entire league, the Premier League is fiercely competitive. Recently, almost all teams have experienced such defeats, so we should view this situation objectively and clearly identify areas where we need improvement."

Carrick emphasized that currently, he only considers the match itself. "As a team, we are confident in our abilities, knowing what results we can achieve and how to perform at our best. Overall, this week has been quite good, and I am looking forward to the next match. It is an important game, and we must not overlook it. There are many things worth fighting for, so I am fully immersed in it now, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next match."