Manchester United have settled on two candidates for the permanent manager’s job at Old Trafford: Michael Carrick or a unicorn.
OK, not quite an actual unicorn. But, in sports recruitment, that is the label applied to a head coach who ticks every single box. They must have a track record of winning major trophies, be outstanding tactically, adept at managing up (to the board and owners), managing down (players and staff) and be able to handle the media as if they were born to do so.
The term is used to highlight the scarcity of such a candidate. Although not quite as rare (nonexistent) as the mythical creature from which it takes its name, there have perhaps been only three or four coaching unicorns this century.
– Carrick not ‘chasing’ decision on Manchester United future
– Predicting the most likely transfer for 9 top stars this summer
– If the Premier League did an NFL-style draft, who would each team select?
There have been, and are, some outstanding coaches, but most of them fall short in at least one of the criteria. José Mourinho has repeatedly clashed with his bosses and players at various clubs, Diego Simeone still hasn’t won the UEFA Champions League with Atlético Madrid and the new generation — including Xabi Alonso, Andoni Iraola and Mikel Arteta — fall short in at least one of the categories.
United had a unicorn for nigh on three decades when Sir Alex Ferguson guided the team to incredible sustained success, including 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues. But they have been searching for another one unsuccessfully ever since Ferguson retired in 2013.
Manchester City found theirs in Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp was Liverpool’s for nine years and Carlo Ancelotti established himself as Real Madrid’s unicorn — something they have learned even more so since he left the Bernabéu at the end of last season.
But with United still to decide on who will take charge of the team beyond the end of this season when Carrick’s six-month contract as coach expires, there is one option that would give United the unicorn they have been desperately looking for: Luis Enrique.
The Paris Saint-Germain coach heads into this week’s Champions League semifinals as the only one of the remaining quartet of coaches to have won the competition. The 55-year-old’s success with PSG last season was his second Champions League triumph, having already guided Barcelona to glory in 2015 as part of a league, cup and European treble.
With his contract in Paris due to expire at the end of next season and an extension still to be signed despite ongoing negotiations, there is a window for United and other major clubs to test Luis Enrique’s commitment to PSG. In the likelihood that Guardiola and Klopp would both be out of reach for United due to their connections with City and Liverpool respectively, and Ancelotti seemingly set to extend his contract as Brazil coach ahead of the FIFA World Cup, Luis Enrique is the only option that could give United everything they desire in a coach.
Carrick has done a remarkable job at Old Trafford since replacing the dismissed Ruben Amorim in January. A win against Brentford at Old Trafford on Monday would all but confirm Champions League qualification and further bolster Carrick’s claims to being given the job permanently. But while Carrick is unquestionably in pole position for the job, sources have told ESPN that United’s ideal appointment would be a coach with proven tactical acumen at the highest level.
As well as Carrick has done, the former Middlesbrough manager remains an unknown quantity at the sharp end of the game and the big question of whether he could outsmart the likes of Guardiola and Luis Enrique to win the biggest trophies remains. There are no question marks over Luis Enrique, and it is why United have previously been seriously interested in appointing him.
Sources have told ESPN that he was approached by United in 2022 during their search for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s successor. However, Luis Enrique made it to clear to the Old Trafford hierarchy that he would not step down from his role as Spain coach until after the Qatar World Cup at the end of 2022.
Having fired Solskjaer in November 2021 and hiring Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis, United decided they could not be without a permanent coach for over a year. So instead, they pursued a path that resulted in a two-man final short list of Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino before settling on Ajax coach Ten Hag.
Luis Enrique’s subsequent success at PSG since he replaced Christophe Galtier at Parc des Princes in July 2023 has shown United what they missed. The French club became European champions with a team of young stars following the coach’s decision to dispense with Kylian Mbappé and Neymar shortly after the exit of Lionel Messi.
Persuading Luis Enrique to leave PSG for Old Trafford might be a challenge beyond United. It would take a significant display of sporting and financial ambition to tempt him to the Premier League, but there is no doubt that he is the outstanding option.
Beyond Carrick and Luis Enrique, United’s potential choices all have their flaws and shortcomings. Could outgoing AFC Bournemouth coach Iraola handle the pressure of managing United? Is Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann’s failure at Bayern Munich a warning sign? Would Unai Emery be prepared to surrender the control he enjoys at Aston Villa to work in a more collegiate structure at Old Trafford?
Carrick has shown he can work in the United pressure cooker, and he appears capable of managing upward and downward. But if the club is to win the Premier League and Champions League again, is he really the man?
Luis Enrique would come with none of the doubts attached to the rest of the contenders. But if United want to get back to the top, they are going to have to catch a unicorn.
