Barcelona legend ‘proposed to Man Utd’ as Carrick alternative as Romano reveals INEOS response
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Barcelona and Spain legend Xavi has been offered to Manchester United as a potential replacement for Michael Carrick as the manager of the Red Devils.
Carrick was appointed as the interim manager of Man Utd in January 2026 following the departure of Ruben Amorim.
Under the former Man Utd and England international midfielder, the team have gone from strength to strength.
Last weekend’s win against Liverpool at Old Trafford means that Man Utd have secured their place in the Premier League top five this season.
With Champions League qualification for next season now secured, Man Utd co-owners INEOS are now trying to decide whether to make Carrick the permanent manager or bring in someone new.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the option to hire former Barcelona and Spain international midfielder Xavi as their manager remains on the table for Man Utd.
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The Italian journalist has revealed that Xavi was “proposed to Manchester United” in January 2026 as a replacement for Amorim.
However, Man Utd turned down the offer and decided to bring in Carrick as the interim manager.
Xavi wants to replace Michael Carrick as Man Utd manager
Romano said about Xavi on his YouTube channel: “Xavi wants to consider also Premier League as a potential destination, not the only one.
“So, Xavi is very open about his future, but Premier League would be interesting for Xavi Hernandez.
“I can also reveal to you that Xavi Hernandez was also proposed to Manchester United since January, since they decided to part ways with Ruben Amorim as an option for the job.
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“But Manchester United decided Michael Carrick interim coach and now Michael Carrick with big chances to continue at the club.”
Xavi is without a managerial role at the moment, having parted company with Barcelona at the end of the 2023/24 season.
As a player, Xavi won LaLiga eight times, the Copa del Rey thrice and the Champions League on four occasions with Barcelona.
The 46-year-old, regarded as one of the best midfielders of all time, won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2008 and 2012 with Spain.
During his time as the Barcelona manager, Xavi won LaLiga in 2022/23 and Supercopa de Espana in 2023.
Xavi may fancy the Man Utd managerial role, but Casemiro wants INEOS to hire Carrick on a permanent basis.
The former Real Madrid midfielder, who will leave Man Utd at the end of the season, has been hugely impressed with the Englishman.
Casemiro told ESPN Brazil’s Joao Castelo-Branco: “In my opinion, he completely deserves it [the Manchester United job], I think he’s a guy who has already demonstrated that he has very good qualities to be a Manchester United coach.
“So it’s not up to me to choose, it’s up to the club.
“But if I could give my opinion, of course he deserves it, and he deserves the club’s total trust.
“Of course, the season is year-round, but since he arrived, he’s been doing an incredible job and I think that with more time he has everything to be a great manager of Manchester United.”
Casemiro added: “He’s a coach who knows the club, he’s a coach who was an idol at the club, he’s a coach who played a lot, won titles here, knows what the club is like, he knows what Manchester United is.
“So, full credit to the coach and there wasn’t much time, that for me was one of the big surprises, because he entered the middle of a troubled season.
“And the games, when he arrived, were not so much those games that we say to gain confidence, although in the Premier League there were not so many games like that, but those games, so there have already been difficult games.
“And the guy arrived and managed to change the club and me in particular, even more so because he was a former player, a midfielder.
“I’m happy for the person he is, the guy is a sensational person, an incredible person, and he deserves everything that’s happening in his career.”
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