Now things are moving fast at Manchester United. Fabian Hürzeler, Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe are on the United management shortlist, according to The Guardian , United boss Ratcliffe and the INEOS gang will listen to sporting director Wilcox with their favourite, former Newcastle manager Howe.
Sportbible describes Eddie Howe as the frontrunner to replace Carrick, outlining the changes he could make to United’s squad, with four January signings potentially on the horizon.
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As Howe enjoyed playing a “tactically disciplined, high-pressing and structured 4-3-3 system” at Newcastle, Sportbible believes he can demand that INEOS bring in a centre-back, left-back, left winger and striker in the winter window.
Howe would likely identify United’s long-term target Jarrad Branthwaite as an “ideal replacement” for Lisandro Martinez, who is set to leave Old Trafford next summer after publicly criticising Wilcox. Since Branthwaite is a “quality defender with ball play”, he would fit Howe’s requirement to have centre-backs who are “comfortable with the ball”.
However, United will have to pay around £80 million to finally secure Branthwaite from Everton, after having a £50 million bid rejected in July 2024.
Next on Howe’s wish list could be a hard-working left-back who is solid defensively but also thrives in attack. United missed out on dream target Lewis Hall over the summer, and the Englishman then signed a new contract with Newcastle.
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Howe would likely love to reunite with Hall if he took over at Old Trafford, but Bournemouth star Adrien Truffert would be a more likely solution. Bournemouth have given Truffert a £60 million price tag following interest from United and Liverpool.
According to the English media, a lightning-fast left winger like Anthony Gordon would “also be on Howe’s agenda” if he were to become United manager. There is no mention of specific targets, although United were linked with a new Sporting CP winger earlier this week.
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Then there is the centre-forward position, which needs to be strengthened after United failed to sell Joshua Zirkzee and sign a replacement over the summer. Howe would likely want a “physically impressive” striker who is also “excellent at pressing and connecting plays”, with Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta on his radar. United have been interested in Mateta for over a year, as he is an experienced striker who could help Benjamin Sesko. Mateta’s contract with Palace expires in June, so United could sign him for a reasonable price of £25 million in January.
