The approach from Old Trafford came within the last few days, and the response from the Deschamps camp was not what Manchester United had hoped for.
According to Foot Mercato, the French outlet that broke the story on Thursday, Deschamps is “not particularly enthusiastic” about taking over a club in the middle of a sporting and institutional downturn. The 58-year-old would, according to the outlet, rather wait until next summer than throw himself into a mid-season crisis.
The story has since been picked up by the English press, with the Express calling it an “immediate answer” from Deschamps. The answer, in plain terms, is: not now.
United’s worst run since 1988
The starting point at Old Trafford is bleak. Carrick’s side sit 17th in the Premier League with seven points from nine games, level with Crystal Palace and out of the relegation zone only on goal difference. A 0-2 defeat at Chelsea last week stretched the winless run across all competitions to nine games, which matches United’s worst sequence since 1988, Sports Illustrated reports.
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The Athletic has previously reported that the club has effectively given Carrick until the November international break to turn things around. A Champions League tie against Roma and a Premier League away trip to Aston Villa were set to shape that assessment.
On Wednesday came a kind of reprieve. United came back from 0-2 to win 3-2 against Roma at Old Trafford, after Matias Soulé and a Donyell Malen penalty had put the Italians in front. Carrick told beIN Sports after the match that the comeback “would only matter” if United backed it up against Villa.
Why Deschamps is waiting
Deschamps has been without a job since the 2026 World Cup, where France finished fourth and he ended 14 years as national team coach. Foot Mercato describes him as a man who is recharging with his family, patient about his next step and willing to wait for the right project.
Manchester United, according to Foot Mercato, does not fit that profile right now. The outlet points to a contested leadership and poorly executed transfer windows as factors that have cooled his interest. Deschamps has been linked with Juventus and several national team jobs and was in the frame at Real Madrid, according to Get French Football News, before José Mourinho’s appointment in the summer.
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His only public comment on the future came in June, when he told the French press that he was “ruling nothing out”. That is the thinnest of green lights for United, and it sits months before the actual approach.
The list United is working with
Deschamps is not the only name in play. Foot Mercato places Julian Nagelsmann and Unai Emery alongside him on United’s list, although Emery is widely tipped to extend at Aston Villa. Sports Illustrated has separately named Eddie Howe and Nagelsmann as leading candidates.
What United apparently do not have is a replacement who can walk in on Monday morning. If Carrick is removed after the Villa game, the club will likely head into the international break without a permanent successor in place, and with the preferred foreign candidate asking for time.
The next match is Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday, and that is the one most likely to decide whether Carrick is still in charge when the international break begins.
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