Dwight Yorke backs Eddie Howe as Michael Carrick’s potential successor at Manchester United

Dwight Yorke says Eddie Howe “stands out” as the leading candidate to replace Michael Carrick if Manchester United part company with their head coach. It is Yorke’s assessment of a possible successor, not an announcement that United are making a change.

Carrick’s United are 13th in the Premier League with seven points from seven matches. The team are also on a six-game winless run in all competitions, according to Metro, after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Leeds.

Yorke made his comments on Keys & Gray Unleashed. He pointed to Howe’s experience at Bournemouth and Newcastle United as reasons he would be a strong option. Howe left Newcastle in July.

Carrick took charge in January and led United to third place and Champions League qualification last season. The club appointed him permanently in the summer, and his contract runs until 2028. Yorke said he had supported that decision after Carrick’s interim spell, but is now unsure it was the right call.

Yorke also questioned whether Carrick was suited to the pressure of the job. He said the manager needed to show “some passion” and “some fire” on the touchline, and argued that Carrick’s demeanour appeared unchanged whether United were winning or losing.

The debate around Carrick’s readiness intensified after former United midfielder Nicky Butt spoke about a private conversation on The Good, The Bad & The Football. Butt said Carrick had described management as “too much” and had told him he would only take the Manchester United job. Those remarks are Butt’s account of the conversation, not a public statement from Carrick.

Yorke criticised Butt for revealing the exchange, saying he had “threw him under the bus”. But Yorke also said the comments made him question whether Carrick was ready for the role. His view leaves Howe in the discussion as a hypothetical replacement, while United’s current position and run without a win explain why the manager’s future is being debated.

United’s next league match is at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, 25 October. Carrick remains in charge, with a contract through 2028; Yorke’s endorsement of Howe does not itself signal a change at Old Trafford.