Michael Carrick's first Man Utd transfer identified as announcement scheduled

Michael Carrick is expected to be confirmed as Manchester United's new interim manager on Tuesday, with the club targeting Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves in a £20m January move

Manchester United are reportedly set to announce Michael Carrick as their new interim manager on Tuesday. The 44-year-old has been in discussions with United's director of football, Jason Wilcox, over the past week and it's now believed that he will be leading the Red Devils until the end of the season.

As per The Guardian, the official announcement of Carrick's appointment is due on Tuesday. Darren Fletcher, who has overseen two matches since Ruben Amorim's dismissal last Monday, is expected to join the coaching team.

Jonathan Woodgate, the former Real Madrid defender and first-team coach at Boro for three years, is also being considered for Carrick's staff. Carrick is set to conduct his first training session on Wednesday when the squad returns from a two-day break.

His immediate task will be to ready his team for Saturday's clash against Manchester City. United are likely to provide Carrick with funds for the January transfer window, with midfield identified as an area needing reinforcement.

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Al-Hilal's Ruben Neves, formerly of Wolves and Porto, has emerged as a potential target for the Reds, with an estimated value of around £20million. Neves, 28, netted Al-Hilal's third goal in their victory over Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Monday.

With his contract at the Middle Eastern club set to expire this summer, United could potentially snap him up for a bargain, as per the report. Carrick took the reins at United for three games as caretaker manager in November and December 2021 following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal.

He remained undefeated during his brief tenure, guiding the team to a 2-0 Champions League win against Villarreal, a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Premier League, and a 3-2 league triumph over Arsenal at Old Trafford. The former United and England midfielder left when Ralf Rangnick was appointed as interim manager until the end of the campaign.

Carrick then took over as Middlesbrough's manager in October 2022 and spent nearly three years at the Riverside Stadium, securing 63 wins and 24 draws from his 136 matches in charge. During his playing days at United from 2006 to 2018, Carrick enjoyed a trophy-laden spell, clinching 10 major honours, including five Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy.

United, who were knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton on Sunday, are set to face City in the Premier League this weekend before heading to Arsenal and hosting Fulham.

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