# New Manchester United coach faces task of rebuilding discipline and defensive solidity

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/fitness-fernandes-and-a-back-four-how-next-head-coach-can-reignite-manchester-united-will-unwin/
- Published: 2026-11-12T17:00:22+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T17:26:46+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/nov/12/the-problems-awaiting-manchester-united-next-manager
- Topics: Fitness, Health, Sport

## Key points

- United’s next coach must restore discipline and defensive stability.
- The team has conceded 30 goals in all competitions.
- The article calls for the club’s leadership to share responsibility.

## Summary

Manchester United’s next head coach faces problems both on the pitch and behind the scenes, after Michael Carrick’s spell ended amid poor results and public disagreements. The article argues that restoring discipline, improving defensive organisation and making senior figures share responsibility will be essential if the club is to recover.

United have conceded 30 goals in all competitions, more than any team in Europe’s top five leagues, while errors and frequent changes have unsettled the defence. Injuries and uncertainty over the centre-forward role have also limited options, with Joshua Zirkzee suggested as a possible short-term solution. The article says the squad needed broader investment and that the club’s owners and football leadership should explain their part in its decline.

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