Paul Scholes' favourite for Man United job has been out of work for 10 months

CommentsSportTom Victor03:45, 11 Mar 2026Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes has been vocal about his concerns over Michael Carrick's time as interim manager at Old Trafford. The club will have to make a call on a new permanent boss in the summer and one of Scholes' previous favourites, Ralph Hasenhuttl, could well be available after the best part of a year out of the game.

"Michael has definitely got something special about him...cos Utd have been c*** last four games...night," Scholes wrote on social media after Carrick tasted defeat for the first time against Newcastle. United took seven points from those four matches but needed a last-gasp equaliser from Benjamin Sesko against West Ham and weren't wholly convincing in wins over Everton and Crystal Palace.

A strong finish to the season could yet earn Carrick the job on a full-time basis. If the former midfielder can lead the club back into the Champions League - while they currently sit third in the league, only three points separate them from Liverpool in sixth - then it may be difficult for the board to ignore him.

Plenty of names have been mentioned in connection with the job, though some of them - including Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti - appear to have ruled themselves out of contention by signing contract extensions with their current employers. One man with no such concerns is Hasenhuttl, who won plaudits from Scholes the last time United found themselves with an interim manager in charge for an extended period.

FOLLOW OUR MAN UNITED FB PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester United Facebook page

Midway through the 2021/22 season, Ralf Rangnick took interim charge at Old Trafford after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked. He was only ever going to stay in place until the end of that season, when a new permanent appointment would be made, and Scholes made the case for Hasenhuttl when the Austrian was still in charge at Southampton.

Scholes was working as a pundit on TNT Sports predecessor BT Sport when fellow guest Glenn Hoddle pointed to the previous working relationship between Rangnick and Hasenhuttl. At the time, United had been planning to keep the former on board in a consultancy role, though this changed when Erik ten Hag was appointed.

Scholes also acknowledged the closeness between the pair before adding: "I've always thought the football he plays at Southampton with not the best squad. The type of football has worked for them. His teams have been good to watch; I think it comes across really well.

"This would be a different kind of pressure; I think people around this club, and fans especially, are thinking more of possibly [Mauricio] Pochettino or an Antonio Conte and what people have been at the bigger clubs. The more I think about it, I don't think it would be a bad thing. The way he goes about his business, he looks good."

He was speaking as a 1-1 draw against United left Hasenhuttl's Southampton 10th in the Premier League table. However, a poor finish saw the Saints drop to 15th by the end of the season and he was sacked after a poor start to the 2022/23 campaign left his team in relegation danger.

Hasenhuttl then spent more than a year out of the management game before being brought in for a rescue mission at Wolfsburg in March 2024. He saved the team from the drop but was dismissed towards the end of the following season.

These days, the jobs he has been linked with have been of a rather different calibre. A return to Southampton was mooted after Will Still's sacking in the autumn, while he was also one of the favourites to replace Marti Cifuentes at Leicester before the Foxes eventually opted for Gary Rowett.

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more£49£35SkyGet Sky Sports hereProduct DescriptionSky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.