Paul Scholes has picked six managers over Michael Carrick to become Man Utd boss

Michael Carrick is the interim Manchester United boss, but Paul Scholes has other ideas on who should get the job permanently

Paul Scholes had already identified six managers he'd like to see take the reins at Manchester United before aiming a dig at Michael Carrick. The United icon and pundit has been outspoken in recent months over who he would prefer to see in the dugout at Old Trafford.

Scholes listed several potential replacements for Ruben Amorim while the Portuguese was still head coach, and has maintained this stance even after Carrick's appointment as interim manager until the end of the season

Scholes doesn't seem convinced by Carrick despite his former team-mate's encouraging start at United, where he secured six victories and one draw in his opening seven matches. After Carrick's first defeat on Wednesday, a 2-1 visit to Newcastle, the former midfielder delivered a sarcastic dig at the current boss.

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He posted on his Instagram story: "Michael has definitely got something special about him... cos Utd have been c*** last four games... night." That is in line with Scholes' comments over the past five months, where he has not named Carrick among his list of candidates that he would like to come in as United's manager.

Recently, he said on The Good, The Bad and The Football Podcast that former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti was his preferred choice, despite the Italian presently managing the Brazil national side ahead of this summer's World Cup.

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Scholes said: "The perfect one out there – I say perfect – Ancelotti is still out there. I know he is the coach of Brazil. He is the perfect one for Manchester United, where you think he will make players feel a million dollars. And he has the experience of winning stuff. But the question is, is he too old now? That’s the only thing. Is there anyone else of that ilk, with more experience? They need presence as a leader."

That was a shift from the trio of candidates he'd suggested in January following Amorim's dismissal. The 51-year-old had identified Aston Villa manager Unai Emery as a shrewd choice. Though his podcast co-host Nicky Butt doubted Emery would leave Villa Park for United, Scholes insisted the Spaniard could be tempted by the prestige of Old Trafford.

Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola also featured on his shortlist, with Scholes praising his outstanding work on the south coast. The former midfielder revealed his admiration for the Spaniard's philosophy, saying: "Iraola at Bournemouth, I think he plays attacking football."

Yet the United legend's first choice was England boss Thomas Tuchel. He said: "Number one for me, which I'd do in the summer, is Thomas Tuchel all day long. I think Tuchel is one of the very best out there. He'd be my number one target, and his contract with England is only until the summer.

"I think he can be a bit temperamental, and he could be quite difficult to handle. But he's done it at big clubs. And he's turned England around of late. You won't know how much he's done with England until the World Cup because the opposition is that bad. But England do look a lot better under him."

Tuchel had been linked with the United job for some time before assuming control of the Three Lions in October 2024. The German famously won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 before being sacked several months later, going on to manage Bayern Munich afterwards.

However, barring any catastrophe at the World Cup, Tuchel is expected to stay on as England's long-term boss, having penned a contract extension through to the end of Euro 2028 since Scholes' comments. Another candidate Scholes has mentioned ahead of Carrick is Eddie Howe of Newcastle, who has steered the club to the Champions League in recent seasons.

Speaking on The Overlap last October, he said: "Eddie Howe, Eddie Howe. I'm not sure about his mate [assistant manager Jason Tindall], but definitely him."

Around the same time, he claimed that Zinedine Zidane represented an excellent alternative to Amorim. The former Real Madrid boss has been without a club since 2021 but has reportedly now reached a verbal agreement to become France's manager following the World Cup.

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