Richard Keys has said claimed for some time that Eddie Howe is nailed on to become the Manchester United manager.

Michael Carrick currently in that role.

The Wallsend Boys Club graduate had a longer than usual ‘new manager bounce’ last season.

The clamour of Manchester United fans and Man U subservient media was that caretaker boss Michael Carrick had to get the job permanently as they qualified for the Champions League.

The circumstances very reminiscent of when another former Manchester United player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got the Old Trafford job on a temporary basis, Man U journalists and fans then demanding he became permanent after initial success as caretaker. Only for Man U living to regret it longer-term as that short-term uplift didn’t last.

For Michael Carrick the end game appears to have happened even quicker Michael Carrick’s position at Manchester United is seemingly untenable.

Man U have won none of their last seven matches (all competitions) and the latest was a 4-1 hammering last night by Como in the Champions League. Manchester United have only won two of 11 matches this season and they were against Sabah from Azerbaijan and Ipswich.

To make matters worse for Michael Carrick, the shameless Man U captain Bruno Fernandes then stabbed his manager in the back after the Como humiliation.

Bruno Fernandes when asked what had gone wrong in the 4-1 humiliation: “It’s a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, but sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confidence.”

Bruno Fernandes then asked specifically whether Michael Carrick had got his tactics wrong: “That’s on the manager and staff to see it, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable.”

Speaking about the situation on ‘Keys & Gray unleashed’, Richard Keys on what the answer is at Manchester United rather than Michael Carrick: “Andy [Gray] says what’s the answer? The answer is Eddie Howe. It is just a case of Eddie when?”

Michael Carrick had struggled at Middlesbrough and it always looked a desperate move to make him Manchester United manager based on only really the fact he used to play for them.

No surprise things have turned out as they have.

Eddie Howe did such brilliant jobs at both Bournemouth (taking them from the brink of non-league all the way to the Premier League) and Newcastle United (saving from relegation after inheriting a desperate mid-season situation, two Wembley finals in his four full seasons, two Champions League qualifications, plus of course a trophy).

I think it is a no-brainer for Manchester United to go for Eddie Howe BUT I really hope it doesn’t happen, as I think he would do wonders for them.

It is ironic of course with Richard Keys, how he often slagged off Eddie Howe when he was managing Newcastle United and indeed was insisting he should be sacked at times, including in September 2023 only months after taking United to top four and a first Champions League qualification in two decades and a first Wembley final in 24 years!