How Man Utd Would Line Up Under Eddie Howe

Manchester United are keen to draw up a long list of potential replacements for under-fire manager Michael Carrick.

Antonio Conte is among the big names available, while reports suggest Julian Nagelsmann has increasingly strong support in the boardroom. There are, however, those that would prefer a Premier League-proven manager, and that is where Eddie Howe comes in.

Howe, 48, has been on the shortlist of nearly every top team in England at some point in the past decade, having made some serious noise at Bournemouth before taking Newcastle United into the Champions League. Somebody who knows how to win matches in the Premier League could be the difference.

If United do decide to cut ties with Carrick and offer Howe a route to the dugout, here’s how he could set up.

Eddie Howe’s Potential Man Utd XI

GK: Senne Lammens—United have no desire to move on from Lammens, whose composure would make him a dream asset for any manager on the planet.

RB: Jules Koundé—Defense is set to be United’s priority area in the upcoming transfer windows. Howe is likely to want a versatile right back who can fly forward when needed but is equally comfortable drifting into a central role. Considering that Koundé, unsettled at Barcelona, is a center back by trade, this one could work out nicely.

CB: Leny Yoro—Howe loves an athletic center back who can keep up with the pace of the modern game. Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are hardly blessed in that department but Yoro, who is still finding his feet in England, has the tools to develop nicely under the former Newcastle boss.

CB: Castello Lukeba—With Lisandro Martínez expected to leave, a new left-sided defender is needed. Micky van de Ven sounds like a dream but could prove to be too expensive, but RB Leipzig’s Lukeba might appeal to Howe. His profile is the sort of thing United would be looking for regardless of who is in the dugout. A move for Newcastle’s Dan Burn to add experience would come as no surprise.

LB: Lewis Hall—The stars have aligned. United want Hall. Howe gave Hall his big chance at Newcastle. Hiring him would give United their clearest path to landing their dream left back.

DM: Kobbie Mainoo—Howe enjoys using a tempo-setting midfielder, initially asking Bruno Guimarães to do so before Sandro Tonali’s move to St James’ Park. He should be quickly drawn to Mainoo.

CM: Carlos Baleba—Box-to-box engines are important to Howe in midfield, and so Baleba would be among the first names on the team sheet. The summer signing stands to benefit from a hypothetical move for Howe as much as anybody in the squad.

CM: Bruno Fernandes—Fernandes may not be a typical Howe player, but the former Newcastle boss would back himself to make it work. He does bring good energy to the midfield and would be given plenty of freedom to get forward, rather than sit in the sort of deep role in which he struggled under Ruben Amorim.

RW: Bryan Mbeumo—Mbeumo is a typical Howe forward, which is why he wanted him at Newcastle in 2025. He’s athletic and determined, ready to fly up and down the pitch to do whatever is needed of him. A significant upgrade on Jacob Murphy.

ST: Benjamin Šeško—Like Mbeumo, Newcastle were in the battle to sign Šeško last year. Howe described them as “outstanding players,” and would likely relish the chance to finally work with both.

LW: Amad Diallo—Howe would have loved to reunite with Anthony Gordon, but his recent switch to Barcelona takes that off the table. He would really enjoy working with somebody with Amad’s natural agility in attack, but could easily lean on Marcus Rashford in the early stages.