(Credit: Imago)

Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

Mon 2 March 2026 14:57, UK

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Manchester United have added Borussia Dortmund’s Niko Kovac to their shortlist for their next managerial appointment, sources have told Football Insider.

Kovac, 54, is understood to be part of the list of potential targets at Old Trafford, but he is not one of their preferred candidates at the moment.

Sources have indicated that Michael Carrick is now the “overwhelming favourite” to land the position on a permanent basis, with the team now on a run of six wins from seven Premier League games since he took the reins.

The club hierarchy feel that the Red Devils’ former midfielder is doing everything right in order to potentially get the job at the moment, and he is at the forefront of their plans as a result.

• Read More: Man United make contact for Niko Kovac appointment amid ‘financial drama’

This is how Michael Carrick can seal Man United appointment

Former Everton and Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness recently told Football Insider that it would take a serious downturn in results for Carrick not to be kept on beyond the end of the season.

The Scottish businessman suggested that he feels the interim boss is “owed one” by Sir Jim Ratcliffe for the way that he has come in and steadied the ship, while also settling the anger that had built up among the fanbase.

Wyness stressed that the chance of the former Middlesbrough boss landing the top job is growing with every passing game, as the team are still unbeaten under his guidance.

He also emphasised that qualification for the Champions League would make Carrick’s appointment “nailed on” for next season at least, given that he would have achieved the club’s goal from the start of the season.

That looks increasingly likely as Sunday’s victory over Crystal Palace has taken United up to third, and they now have a six-point gap to Chelsea in sixth, with the top five all expected to land a spot in Europe’s premier club competition for next term.

• Read More: ‘I’m told’: Man United lead race to sign Hayden Hackney after Michael Carrick talks

Carrick appointment holds key to Hayden Hackney signing

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider last week that Carrick’s appointment would hand his former club a crucial edge in the race to sign Hayden Hackney this summer.

The Middlesbrough star is being tracked by several Premier League clubs with a view to a move ahead of next season, but the Red Devils would immediately become the favourites for his signature if Carrick remained at the helm.

Hackney played under the 44-year-old during his time at the Riverside Stadium, and he was even made club captain by the United interim back in January 2024.

The pair share an excellent relationship and have both publicly praised each other on several occasions previously.

Brown feels that the chance to work together and strike up that relationship again would effectively make up Hackney’s mind when it comes to where his long-term future will lie.