Man United candidates for interim coach include Solskjaer and Carrick, AP source says

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United has approached Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick in its search for an interim coach to take over until the end of the season, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The person spoke on the condition on anonymity because the recruitment process has not been made public.

United is considering a short-term replacement for Ruben Amorim, who was fired on Monday, with a view to a long-term appointment in the summer.

Talks were being held with former players Solskjaer and Carrick. United youth coach Darren Fletcher has been installed as interim for Wednesday's game against Burnley and may also put himself in contention if he impresses.

“Honestly, it’s not something I’ve thought about. I’m focusing on Burnley,” Fletcher said in his pre-game news conference.

He said discussions about his potential candidacy were for after the game.

“There’s been that much going on, it’s all happened so quickly, all my concentration and efforts and thoughts are going into Burnley," Fletcher said.

It is not known if other names are being seriously considered, but former striker and coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was interim before Amorim took charge in 2024, was reportedly another option.

Solskjaer, who managed United between 2018 and 2021 and is a club icon after scoring the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final, has the strongest managerial pedigree of that list. He led United to a second-place finish in the league in 2021 and was also a losing finalist in the Europa League that same season.

Solskjaer was fired by Turkish club Besiktas in August.

Carrick was on the coaching staff at United after retiring as a player and was briefly caretaker when Solskjaer was fired. He was in charge of second-tier Middlesbrough from 2022-25 where he earned a reputation as a rising coaching talent.

Solskjaer would be a surprising appointment — even on a temporary basis — after leaving the club more than four years ago.

The Norwegian initially took over as interim when Jose Mourinho was fired, but inspired such an uplift in atmosphere that he was given the job full time. He came closer than anyone to delivering a first Premier League title since club great Alex Ferguson's retirement when the team finished second five years ago, 12 points behind Manchester City.

Since leaving United, Solskjaer has spoken openly about his disappointment after failing to sign stars like Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham that would have boosted his chances of delivering success.

Mourinho also steered United to second — but was 19 points behind champion City in 2018.

Under Ferguson, United dominated the Premier League since its inception in 1992 — winning 13 titles — but has not been champion since his final season in 2013.

Amorim was fired on Monday after only 14 months in the job and a slew of unwanted records such as United's worst season in the Premier League era last term.

But he departed with United still in a strong position to secure Champions League qualification for next season, with the club believing a change would enhance its chances of rising up the standings.

“Everyone expects Manchester United to be on the top and winning," Fletcher said. "That’s the standard. That’s what we all have to try to achieve. That’s a standard that’s set for everyone at the club and I just do my best in whatever role I’m in to help make that happen.”

Sporting director Jason Wilcox is leading the search for an interim and the next long-term appointment.

By waiting until the end of the season for a full-time replacement for Amorim, United would likely have more options when potential candidates are out of contract or rival clubs are more open to releasing coaches.

Names speculated so far include Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, Fulham's Marco Silva and Marseille's Roberto De Zerbi.

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Manchester United's temporary coach Michael Carrick walks off the pitch at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)

FILE - Besiktas' head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, celebrates his team's victory after the Europa League opening phase soccer match between Besiktas and Athletic Bilbao at Besiktas stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Manchester United's manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, right, and assistant Michael Carrick stand on the touchline during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and West Ham at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)

FILE - Manchester United's head coach Ruben Amorim reacts after Leicester's Bobby Decordova-Reid scored the opening goal during the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between Manchester United and Leicester City at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, file)

FILE - Manchester United's head coach Ruben Amorim walks on the pitch at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and West Ham at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson, file)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist when she allegedly tried to run over law enforcement officers during an immigration crackdown in the city, authorities said Wednesday.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot the woman in her vehicle in a residential neighborhood in Minneapolis, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

The shooting marks a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major American cities under the Trump administration. It's at least the fifth person killed in a handful of states since 2024.

The twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have been on edge since DHS announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, with more than 2,000 agents and officers expected to participate in the crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.

A large throng of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting, where they vented their anger at the local and federal officers who were there, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.

In a scene that hearkened back to the Los Angeles and Chicago crackdowns, bystanders heckled the officers and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.

“Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!” they loudly chanted from behind the police tape.

After the shooting, Mayor Jacob Frey said immigration agents were “causing chaos in our city.”

“We are demanding ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities," Frey said on social media.

The area where the shooting occurred is a modest neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets in the area and a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.

“We’ve been trying to live life as fully as possible in light of the fear and anxiety that we feel,” said the Rev. Hierald Osorto, pastor at St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, which has a predominantly Latino congregation in the area.

During a news conference in Texas on Wednesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that the agency had deployed more than 2,000 officers to the Twin Cities and already made “hundreds and hundreds” of arrests.

For nearly a year, migrant rights advocates and neighborhood activists across the Twin Cities have been preparing to mobilize in the event of an immigration enforcement surge. From houses of worship to mobile home parks, they have set up very active online networks, scanned license plates for possible federal vehicles and bought whistles and other noise-making devices to alert neighborhoods of any enforcement presence.

On Tuesday night, the Immigration Defense Network, a coalition of groups serving immigrants in Minnesota, held a training session for about 100 people who were willing to hit the streets to monitor the federal enforcement operation.

“I feel like I'm an ordinary person, and I have the ability do something so I need to do it,” Mary Moran told KMSP-TV.

Dell'Orto reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit, Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas, and Mark Vancleave in Las Vegas contributed.

EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - People protest as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

A bullet hole is seen in the windshield as law enforcement officers work at the scene of a shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

Law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

People protest as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

A bullet hole is seen in the windshield as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

Law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

A bullet hole is seen in the windshield as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

FILE - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appears before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Federal law enforcement officers stand near a roadblock at Portland Avenue and East 32nd Street, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, after reports of a shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis, where immigration enforcement has been conducting a major crackdown. (AP Photo/Tim Sullivan)

Federal law enforcement officers stand near a roadblock at Portland Avenue and East 32nd Street, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, after reports of a shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis, where immigration enforcement has been conducting a major crackdown. (AP Photo/Tim Sullivan)