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Former Manchester United duo Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes suggested Unai Emery, Kieran McKenna and, surprisingly, Roy Keane would be their choices to become the next Reds' manager. United recently decided to give Michael Carrick more time to turn things around as manager. However, the general feeling is Carrick's days at Old Trafford are numbered, with Antonio Conte, Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann still considered the favourites. While the future of United continues to be deliberated, Butt and Scholes took part in a social media game which saw them say yes or no to 11 potential candidates.
Amongst those in the list were the aforementioned favourites. The pair said no to Nagelsmann, Howe and Cesc Fabregas, who has been linked one week after the Como manager masterminded an impressive 4-1 victory over the Reds in the Champions League.
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On the Good, the Bad and the Football podcast, when Keane's name was suggested, Butt, with a wry smile, said, "It would be fun," before Scholes laughed and replied "I don't see why not." It follows a recent report from the Sun which claimed Keane was being eyed as a United assistant manager, had Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer been brought back instead of Carrick.
Before the latter was handed the job on an interim basis, after the sacking of Ruben Amorim, Solskjaer was being considered as a temporary option. Had the Norwegian returned to the club, Keane could have been his right-hand man.
This would have been Keane's first dugout job since November 2019, when he had a seven-month spell as Martin O'Neil's assistant at Nottingham Forest.
Scholes & Butt say YES or NO to potential next Manchester United manager to replace Michael Carrick… 😱 https://t.co/yBzJl8UVm1
— The Good, The Bad & The Football (@goodbadftblpod) October 26, 2026
When it came to Emery and McKenna, who have also been linked with Old Trafford, Butt and Scholes were both enthusiastic. When Emery's name was uttered, Scholes said: "I don't see why not," and said the same thing about McKenna.
Butt agreed with his former team-mate on the latter, stating he "knows the club," reflecting on McKenna's time as United assistant manager under Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, Ralf Rangnick and under Carrick's first interim spell.
Before he started working with the first team, McKenna also spent the best part of two years as manager of the club's Under-18s side. He went on to enjoy a successful spell as manager of Ipswich Town between December 2021 and June 2026, where he got them promoted to the Premier League on two different occasions.
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