MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United has turned to former player Michael Carrick to salvage its imploding season.
Carrick was hired Tuesday as head coach until the end of the season after Ruben Amorim was fired last week.
The former England midfielder won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during a trophy-laden playing career at Old Trafford. He was also an assistant coach at United and had an unbeaten three-game spell as interim manager when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired in 2021.
On this occasion, Carrick was selected ahead of Solskjaer, who was also interviewed for the role.
“I know what it takes to succeed here; my focus is now on helping the players to reach the standards that we expect at this incredible club, which we know that this group is more than capable of producing,” he said.
By appointing Carrick on a temporary basis, United is giving itself time to find a long-term replacement for Amorim, who became the sixth permanent manager or coach to be discarded by the storied club after more than a decade of decline since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
It is possible Carrick could put himself in contention if he impresses during the 17 remaining games this season. And while he has only initially been appointed for the short-term, it was notable that United did not describe him as interim when announcing his contract.
Carrick’s only full-time managerial experience was at second-tier Middlesbrough from 2022-25, where his reign ended after failing to secure promotion to the Premier League.
Former England assistant Steve Holland will be part of his coaching team at United.
Carrick's first two games are tough ones — at home to second-place Manchester City in the league on Saturday and away to first-place Arsenal the following weekend.
In his previous spell at United, he oversaw wins against Arsenal and Villarreal as well as a draw at Chelsea.
His priority is to secure Champions League qualification after defeat to Brighton in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday put the 20-time English champion on course for another trophyless season after ending up empty-handed last term.
United, which was knocked out of the English League Cup by fourth-tier Grimsby, is seventh in the Premier League, but Carrick said he had “total belief” in the players.
“There is still a lot to fight for this season, we are ready to pull everyone together and give the fans the performances that their loyal support deserves,” he said.
As well as Carrick and Solskjaer, other former United players Darren Fletcher and Ruud van Nistelrooy were considered for the role. Fletcher took charge of United’s two games following Amorim’s departure — a draw at Burnley in the league and the loss to Brighton. He is expected to return to his role as youth coach.
Amorim was the latest to fail to lead United back to the summit of English soccer in the post-Ferguson era after David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag.
Carrick was part of one of Ferguson’s greatest teams, which won a Premier League and Champions League double in 2008. In all he won 12 major trophies in 12 years at United.
He was in United's last Premier League title winning team in Ferguson's final season.
“Michael is an excellent coach and knows exactly what it takes to win at Manchester United," said United director of football Jason Wilcox, who led the search for Amorim's replacement. “He is ready to lead our talented and determined group of players for the remainder of the season as we continue to build the club towards regular and sustained success.”
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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 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)
BUDAPEST (AP) — Russia's ambassador to Hungary was summoned Thursday over a massive drone attack in Ukraine, in a stark example of the about-face in relations with Moscow ushered in by the election of Prime Minister Péter Magyar after years of cozy ties under his predecessor, Viktor Orbán.
An Associated Press reporter saw Ambassador Evgeny Stanislavov leave the Hungarian Foreign Ministry less than 30 minutes after he arrived to speak with Foreign Minister Anita Orbán about strikes that hit the Ukrainian region of Transcarpathia on Wednesday. The region is home to a sizable Hungarian minority.
“I told the Russian ambassador that it was completely unacceptable for Hungary that they were now attacking Transcarpathia, home of the Hungarian minority," Anita Orbán said on social media. “I stressed that Russia should do everything for an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful and lasting end to the war as soon as possible.”
Russia fired at least 800 drones in a massive daytime barrage Wednesday targeting about 20 regions of Ukraine. At least six people were killed and dozens were wounded, including children. Lasting hours, it was one of the longest-lasting attacks by Moscow in the war now in its fifth year.
The attacks continued Thursday, killing seven in Kyiv alone including a 12-year-old girl, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
After the meeting, the Russian embassy issued a statement saying the Russian attack on Wednesday only targeted installations and infrastructure used by Ukraine’s army and not civilian sites.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said called the summons in Budapest an “important message” and thanked Magyar for his comments.
“Moscow has once again shown itself to be a common threat not only to Ukraine, but also to neighbouring countries and Europe as a whole,” Zelenskyy said.
The summons marks a stunning change after years of close relations between Hungary — both a member of the European Union and NATO — and Moscow, even following the Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
When the ambassador left the Foreign Ministry building on the banks of the Danube, an activist yelled at him in Hungarian, “Comrade, it’s over!”
After defeating Orbán in a historic vote in April, Magyar has vowed to undo much of the legacy built during Orbán’s 16 years in power, with a particular focus on alleged corruption.
Magyar announced Thursday that he was ending two crisis governing structures in Hungary set up in response to the war in Ukraine and the COVID pandemic.
Orbán had declared a “ state of danger ” in 2022 in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and his Fidesz party granted him extraordinary executive power during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Both enhanced his powers and led to widespread allegations of democratic backsliding.
"We are returning to normality," Magyar said in a social media post. “As of today, after four years, the wartime state of emergency in Hungary is ending, and with it we are also putting an end to the decree-based emergency rule introduced by the Orbán government six years ago.”
McNeil contributed from Brussels.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar, right, and Foreign Minister Anita Orban during the appointment ceremony of ministers of the Tisza government at the presidential Alexander Palace in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via AP)
Russia's ambassador to Hungary, Evgeny Stanislavov, is surrounded by media as he leaves the Hungarian Foreign Ministry building after being summoned by Foreign Minister Anita Orban over a massive drone attack near Hungary's border with Ukraine, in Budapest, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo)
Russia's ambassador to Hungary, Evgeny Stanislavov, is surrounded by media as he leaves the Hungarian Foreign Ministry building after being summoned by Foreign Minister Anita Orban over a massive drone attack near Hungary's border with Ukraine, in Budapest, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo)
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar attends the first, out-of-town cabinet meeting of the new Tisza government in Opusztaszer, Hungary, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Robert Hegedus/MTI via AP)
FILE - Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro speaks to reporters alongside in Warsaw, Poland, Sept. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file)
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, centre, attends the first, out-of-town cabinet meeting of the new Tisza government flanked by Balint Ruff, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, and Foreign Minister Anita Orban, right, in the Opusztaszer National Historical Memorial Park in Opusztaszer, Hungary, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Robert Hegedus/MTI via AP)
