Lee Sharpe wants Michael Carrick to stay at Manchester United, but names Eddie Howe as an alternative

Lee Sharpe says he wants Michael Carrick to remain Manchester United manager, while placing Newcastle boss Eddie Howe among his top three choices if United decide to make a change. The former United winger made the comments in an interview with The Peoples Person and believes Carrick can still turn the season around.

United sit 12th after five Premier League games, with one win, two draws and two defeats. Sharpe pointed to the football United played in the latter half of last season as reason to give Carrick time. “I really hope he doesn’t get sacked, and I hope he manages to turn it around, which I’m sure he will,” he said. “They were fantastic. They played some great stuff.”

Howe is a candidate in Sharpe’s hypothetical discussion of a successor, not his preferred outcome. Sharpe praised Howe’s work at both Newcastle and Bournemouth, saying he “would be amazing” with resources and backing. He also said finding the right manager for United is difficult after the club tried contrasting approaches under Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim without sustained success.

Sharpe offered several possible reasons for United’s slow start. He cited pre-season fitness work, confidence falling after poor results and the extra pressure Carrick faced when moving from caretaker to permanent manager. Those were Sharpe’s explanations for the team’s difficulties, rather than an argument that United should replace him now.

He also said Carrick may have been “a little bit let down” in the transfer market. In Sharpe’s view, United needed another two or three players, despite paying significant fees for some useful additions. His central position remains that Carrick should have the opportunity to respond.

United’s next league match is at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, 10 October. It gives Carrick a chance to improve a record that has left United in the lower half of the table. Sharpe’s comments make the distinction clear: he can see a possible successor in Howe, but wants Carrick to turn United’s start around.