Manager Michael Carrick is set to bring in former England assistant manager Steve Holland as Manchester United’s number two. Carrick has agreed to remain in charge of United until the end of the season following the sacking of manager Ruben Amorim.
Carrick will be in the dugout for Saturday’s Premier League derby against Manchester City. The 44-year-old’s return to United comes after he was given three games in 2021 following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure. Holland will join Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans as Carrick’s number two for the remainder of the season. The Dutchman was key to Gareth Southgate’s success with England, helping them reach the finals of Euro 2021 and 2024.
He spent a number of years at Chelsea before joining the national team. Holland was highly praised by Southgate during his time at Wembley and the 55-year-old was a mainstay on the training ground.
However, his recent stint in soccer came to an abrupt end when he was sacked from Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos in April after just four months in charge. The Dutch won just five of their 15 games and were sacked after seven consecutive games without a win.
During his time in England, he was involved in a huge row with Arsenal’s Ben White. The defender withdrew from the squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to “personal reasons” before rumors of a falling out with the Dutch national team were reported.
The Telegraph reported that the rift started when Holland questioned White’s interest in football during the tournament. Southgate is said to have asked Kyle Walker a question related to Manchester City’s performance, before asking White the same question about the Gunners.
Mr. White said he didn’t know the answer, but Mr. Holland said he had no interest in soccer. On 30 November, White requested to return to England from Doha.
It is understood there were no arguments or conflicts between the pair. White has not featured for England under Southgate or Thomas Tuchel since being ruled out in Qatar.
Holland’s first job in football was as a youth coach at Crewe Alexandra in 1992, and after gaining his coaching badge he joined the first team for the 2006/07 season. After a short stint as manager, he resigned in December 2008 and joined Stoke City as academy manager.
After several years as a reserve manager at Chelsea, he was promoted to Andre Villas-Boas’ coaching staff in the first team, before becoming assistant manager to Roberto Di Matteo. He continued in that position under managers Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho, before taking over in the Premier League against Sunderland.
The Dutchman, who also served as number two for Guus Hiddink and Antonio Conte, joined the England national team at the end of the 2016/17 season. He joined Southgate in the Under-21 team before moving to the first team.
