Ole Gunnar Solskjær is set to interview for the Manchester United managerial position on Saturday! Carrick receives strong backing from a key figure, while Fletcher might lead the team against Manchester City.

Manchester United icon Solskjær is scheduled to meet the club’s leadership in person on Saturday to try to become the official interim head coach for the remainder of the season. His chief competitor is his former teammate and assistant Carrick, while current caretaker Darren Fletcher also retains a faint hope of taking charge.

Both Solskjær and Carrick engaged in preliminary discussions with Manchester United after Rúben Amorim’s sacking, though these were not face-to-face. On Thursday, 44-year-old Carrick met first with CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox. According to The Guardian, this negotiation narrowed the gap between Carrick and Solskjær, with Manchester United seriously considering Carrick for the role.

Reports indicate that Carrick has the support of Manchester United’s transfer chief Christopher Viveil. Viveil favors appointing Carrick as the interim coach, believing his football philosophy is clearer and that he excels at maximizing players’ strengths.

Viveil wants to give Carrick a chance rather than revert to the "high-energy" style of Solskjær. Since Amorim’s departure, Viveil is expected to play a more pivotal role in the search for Manchester United’s new head coach and in subsequent player recruitment.

Meanwhile, Solskjær will return to Carrington on Saturday for an interview. The 52-year-old Norwegian legend remains the most favored candidate. However, Solskjær is no longer 100% certain of a successful comeback, and the possibility of him teaming up again with Carrick to lead the squad has been completely ruled out, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS group do not want to pay two coaches simultaneously.

British media report that Manchester United will not finalize the official interim manager before Sunday’s FA Cup match. Renowned transfer expert David Ornstein even suggests that if complications arise, Fletcher could continue leading the team for next week’s Manchester derby.

The report from "Jingji Net" even recalls when Ten Hag led the team to win the FA Cup final, noting that the defensive counterattack tactic was proposed by Fletcher.

In the May 2024 final, Fletcher was promoted from technical director to first-team coach at Manchester United. He organized lengthy internal discussions and convinced Ten Hag to abandon his initial plan of high pressing, as that approach would have exposed Manchester United’s weaknesses.

Instead, Fletcher advocated for a more pragmatic, defense-oriented tactical setup, which Ten Hag ultimately adopted. Manchester United held off their opponents and capitalized on counterattacks, with goals from Garnacho and Cody Meno securing the victory.

Fletcher clearly stated that he has not negotiated with owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe about his future and is unsure if he will remain with the first team after this weekend. If the club appoints another interim manager, Fletcher will return to coaching the U18 youth team.

Fletcher said: "I haven’t been in contact with Jim (Ratcliffe), but I will communicate with Omar (Berrada) and Jason (Wilcox). This is how things operate; I’ve been focused on my current tasks, preparing the team for these two matches. No one has considered my future, nor has anyone discussed it with me. Jason and Omar have given me full autonomy to manage these two games, make decisions, lead and prepare the team. That’s what I’ve been doing, and apart from them, I haven’t had any discussions with anyone else."

Fletcher remains frustrated that his first match in charge ended in a 2-2 draw with Burnley. He believes referee Stuart Attwell made two controversial decisions: disallowing Lisandro Martínez’s goal and failing to intervene via VAR after Patrick Doğu was stamped on. Both incidents involved former England international Kyle Walker, whose exaggerated fall nullified the goal and who escaped a red card after quickly apologizing for the stamp.

"Patrick (Doğu) is an honest player; he doesn’t dive. Just like Walker did when he didn’t actually touch Lima. Walker’s action wasn’t nice, but I respect him and know his character; I believe he was just trying to win the ball," Fletcher said. "But I think VAR should have reviewed the incidents. They had already disallowed our goal. It’s ridiculous; if they don’t review it, it only encourages players to exaggerate and act theatrically, which is something we don’t want to see in matches."

However, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirms that Manchester United still hopes to decide on the new manager next week. "Manchester United plans to announce the interim manager next week. The club wants the new interim coach to be named before the Manchester derby, so confirming the manager is very important for United."