How Man Utd Would Line Up Under Julian Nagelsmann

The pressure on Manchester United manager Michael Carrick is growing with each passing day.

A bruising 4–1 defeat to Como in the Champions League, followed by some scathing comments from captain Bruno Fernandes, have left the manager facing an increasingly uncertain future, with a handful of alternatives already being suggested.

Former Napoli manager Antonio Conte has previously been touted as a possible replacement for Carrick, but fresh reports have named Julian Nagelsmann, a long-time target for the Red Devils, as a leading contender. Both men are conveniently out of work and available immediately.

Here’s a look at how United could set up under the former Germany and Bayern Munich boss.

Julian Nagelsmann’s Potential Man Utd XI

GK: Senne Lammens—Nagelsmann wants composure from his goalkeeper and is unlikely to find a better source of that than Lammens, who prides himself on his calm head under pressure.

RB: Archie Gray—Among the most important tactical points for Nagelsmann is an overload in central areas, which he has often done through the use of an inverted fullback. None of United’s current options would appear to fit the bill, but Tottenham Hotspur’s Gray—a natural midfielder anyway—could easily slot into this role with perfection.

CB: Matthijs de Ligt—Big, dominant defenders are always popular under Nagelsmann, who was the manager that took De Ligt to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022. The pair had a strong relationship during their short period together in Germany.

CB: Nico Schlotterbeck—The uncertainty surrounding Lisandro Martínez’s future means a new left-sided center back is likely to be needed. Nagelsmann could look to his German roots with the in-demand Schlotterbeck, and it would hardly come as a surprise to see Antonio Rüdiger considered as a squad option as he nears the end of his contract with Real Madrid.

LB: Lewis Hall—Hall’s ability as both a left back and a ball-playing midfielder would work well in a typically fluid Nagelsmann setup. United officials have set their sights on the Newcastle United star and would not have to try too hard to convince Nagelsmann of his worth.

DM: Carlos Baleba—Any new manager is going to have to find a way to make Baleba a core part of their squad. The Cameroon international is still going to have to work on his on-ball skills, but there can be no denying his potential if Nagelsmann can connect the dots.

DM: Kobbie Mainoo—Mainoo would be one of the bigger winners of any move for Nagelsmann, who loves a deep-lying playmaker so much that his team regularly includes more than one. Keeping the ball moving, drawing players out of position and spraying passing to the forwards sounds like Mainoo’s ideal job.

RM: Bryan Mbeumo—In a system with one inverted fullback, Mbeumo would be tasked with holding the width on the right. The 27-year-old has been excellent since his move to Old Trafford in 2025 and would relish another tactical challenge.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—Nagelsmann is a manager that could easily try and build his team around Fernandes, a pass-first playmaker constantly looking to make things happen around him. It could be the tactical tweak that reignites Fernandes’s career.

LM: Matheus Cunha—One of Nagelsmann’s wingers often drifts inside to help with the possessional overload. That role lends itself perfectly to Cunha, who is more of a central-minded player anyway.

ST: Benjamin Šeško—If there is one thing Nagelsmann knows how to do, it is maximize a striker. At Hoffenheim, he brought 90 goals and 40 assists from Andrej Kramarić and Mark Uth over four seasons. Timo Werner and Yussuf Poulsen both shone at RB Leipzig, before Robert Lewandowski hit 50 goals in 46 games in Munich. Šeško has the tools to follow that crowd and may simply need some Nagelsmann guidance.