Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler has ruled himself out of the possibility of becoming Manchester United head coach in case Michael Carrick is sacked, insisting his attention remains firmly on his current project at the south coast club.
The German coach has emerged as a potential candidate among others including Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe, for the Old Trafford job amid growing uncertainty over Carrick’s future following Manchester United’s disappointing start to the 2026/27 campaign, making it their worst start to a Premier League season.
United’s struggles have intensified after a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Italian side Como, extending their winless run to seven matches across all competitions and leaving Carrick under mounting pressure.
However, Hurzeler has made it clear that he has no interest in being drawn into speculation about the position, expressing his commitment to Brighton while acknowledging the work of his Manchester United counterpart.
“I’m really focused on my job here. I have no time to think about these rumours because we play every three days and, beside that, I have a lot of respect for Michael Carrick and what he has done with Manchester United the last season. He’s a great human being, a great personality. There’s nothing more to say about that.”
Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton and Hove Albion Manager
United have managed just two wins in 11 matches this season, with their poor run placing further scrutiny on Carrick’s leadership. The Red Devils have also collected only seven points from their opening seven Premier League fixtures.
Carrick is nevertheless expected to remain in charge for Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Bournemouth as the club considers its next steps.
Brighton Form Strengthens Hurzeler’s Position
While United continue to struggle, Hurzeler has overseen an impressive start to the season at Brighton, who have established themselves among the early contenders near the top of the Premier League table.
The Seagulls sit third with 16 points from seven matches, five behind leaders Manchester City and two adrift of second-placed Arsenal.
Brighton have also been the league’s most prolific side, scoring 23 goals, at least four more than the next-highest scorers, Manchester City, who have netted 19 in their opening seven league matches.
Also, their attacking output has been complemented by defensive solidity. With just five goals conceded they share the best defense with defending champions Arsenals. And their only league defeat so far came against Chelsea in August, when they lost 4-3.
Despite the strong numbers, Hurzeler has resisted suggestions that his team should already be considered serious title contenders, preferring to concentrate on improving performances rather than speculating about their eventual position.
Asked whether Brighton could challenge for the Premier League title, the 33-year-old responded emphatically and revealed that discussions with his players had reinforced the importance of maintaining the right approach throughout the campaign.
“No! We go game by game, we try to focus on performance. Just yesterday I had a conversation with the players and I love the way they are thinking. They said ‘we don’t want to focus on results, we want to focus on performances and how we get better, how we can improve because then the results will come’.”
Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton and Hove Albion manager
Hurzeler added that the team would only assess its achievements when the season concludes.
Liverpool Test Awaits Free-Scoring Seagulls
Brighton now turn their attention to Sunday’s trip to Anfield, where they will face Liverpool in a fixture that presents another opportunity to demonstrate their early-season progress.
The Seagulls have struggled at the venue in recent years, losing their last four matches there against Liverpool in all competitions. Their most recent victory at Anfield came in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the match was played behind closed doors.
However, Liverpool’s inconsistent home form this season offers Hurzeler’s side encouragement ahead of the encounter.
The Reds are yet to win after three Premier League home matches this season, including a goalless stalemate against Fulham and a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in their most recent home game in the league.
Brighton’s ability to score consistently could therefore prove important as they seek to end their poor run at Anfield especially after scoring in every Premier League game this season.
Hurzeler Warns Against Focusing on Wirtz Alone
Hurzeler has also acknowledged the threat posed by Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz but insists his side must approach the challenge collectively rather than concentrating exclusively on the German playmaker.
Wirtz has been adapting to the demands of English football since his arrival last summer in a big money move from Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and Hurzeler believes his quality makes him a dangerous opponent when given space to influence proceedings. “Wirtz, of course, is an incredible player and it’s impressive what he has done in his young career and I think he is adapting more and more to the Premier League.”
The Brighton manager stressed that limiting Wirtz’s influence would require a coordinated defensive effort rather than relying on individual match-ups.
“It’s always a joy to see these kind of players but it is important for us to stop him and not stop him in one v one situation because he will be too good. We have to stop him as a team. Liverpool is not only Wirtz, they have a lot of other individual quality. It will be a lot about our team performance.”
Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton and Hove Albion manager
Hurzeler concluded by challenging his players to raise their standards further, despite their impressive start to the campaign. “We can still improve our performances because we have to lift our levels.”
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