Man Utd finalizes their target to win the Premier League this season

Former striker Michael Owen shared his views on Man Utd’s ambitious plan to reclaim the Premier League title by 2028, marking the club’s 150th anniversary.

Coach Ruben Amorim was recently dismissed by Man Utd’s board after 14 months in charge and 63 matches managing at Old Trafford. This decision was announced on January 5th. During the transition period, Darren Fletcher will serve as interim head coach. According to various sources, Man United intends to keep an interim coach until the end of the 2025/26 season before finalizing a long-term coaching plan.

Alongside Fletcher, several former club legends linked to Old Trafford have been mentioned as candidates for the interim role, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who previously managed the club, and former midfielder Michael Carrick.

When asked who should be appointed as interim coach next, Owen expressed strong support for Michael Carrick: “I believe they are moving in the right direction. Personally, I have a lot of admiration for Michael Carrick. He has prior experience managing the team and has gained valuable experience at Middlesbrough, performing very well. I can easily picture Carrick in that position. Recently, I worked with him on television, and Carrick didn’t seem overly eager to return to Man Utd in a new role, but if the right opportunity arises, he would definitely consider it. I like the idea of Carrick becoming Man Utd’s coach.”

Owen also noted that changing managers mid-season always makes it tough for clubs to find a new leader because most top candidates are already committed elsewhere: “Usually, when you change mid-season, the best options are very difficult to approach. That’s certain. You end up focusing on just a few names. If Fletcher performs well, it will be hard to replace him. For example, if Man Utd beats Burnley and then gets good results against Brighton in the FA Cup, and only needs a coach until the end of the season, removing Fletcher to bring in Carrick or Solskjaer wouldn’t make sense. It’s quite possible Fletcher will be given the chance until the season’s end. That scenario is very likely.”

According to reports, Crystal Palace’s coach Oliver Glasner is considered the top candidate for the permanent head coach role at Old Trafford next season. Whoever is appointed, the mission remains to restore Manchester United’s status as a contender for titles both domestically and in Europe.

Man Utd CEO Omar Berrada, who first announced the “Project 150,” surprised everyone by stating the club’s goal to reach the Premier League summit by 2028: “Can Manchester United win the Premier League by 2028? Absolutely. We just finished the season in 15th place, which sounds impossible, but why not set that as our goal? Why not do everything we can?”

When asked if Man Utd could achieve this within two years, Owen firmly replied: “If everything goes particularly well, I believe Man Utd can reach that goal… They have many quality players. Of course, they need a very good coach and three or four more quality signings. Football changes quickly. It’s hard to imagine Man Utd winning this league in two and a half years, but stranger things have happened. I think they can accomplish this target even sooner. Of course, nothing would be more special than winning the Premier League to celebrate the club’s 150th anniversary. That would be a milestone every team aims for.”