Michael Carrick, Pep Guardiola, and Mikel Arteta have all been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Season award as the 2025-26 campaign enters its final two weekends, with the trio joined on a six-man shortlist by Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Brentford’s Keith Andrews, and Sunderland boss Régis Le Bris.

The winner will be decided through a combination of public votes which are open until Monday, May 18 and the verdicts of a panel of football experts, with the announcement expected shortly after.

The most eye-catching inclusion on the list is undoubtedly Carrick, who took charge of Manchester United on an interim basis in January following the departure of Ruben Amorim and has since orchestrated one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the club’s recent history. In 15 Premier League matches as interim head coach, Carrick has recorded ten wins, three draws, and two defeats, accumulating 33 league points the highest tally of any club in the Premier League during that same period.

Perhaps more significantly, he has guided United from seventh place into the top three, securing Champions League football for next season in the process. With those numbers, it is perhaps no surprise that club officials are understood to be ready to open talks over making the appointment permanent.

The title race, meanwhile, continues to frame the nominations of both Arteta and Guardiola. Arsenal head into the final two fixtures with a two-point lead over Manchester City and are looking to deliver the club’s first top-flight championship since 2003-04. Arteta’s side have won 24 of their 36 league games this season, keeping 16 clean sheets only surpassing that tally once in recent memory, in 2023-24. Seven of those victories have been by a solitary goal, a reflection of the resilience Arteta has instilled in a squad that has remained serious title challengers throughout the campaign.

Guardiola, seeking a record-extending sixth Manager of the Season award, leads a Manchester City side that has recorded 23 wins, eight draws, and five defeats, and can still claim a seventh Premier League title should Arsenal stumble in their remaining fixtures. Only Sir Alex Ferguson, with ten, has won the Manager of the Season award more often than the Catalan coach, who continues to operate at the very summit of the game heading into what could yet be a decisive final weekend.

Beyond the headline trio, the presence of Iraola, Andrews, and Le Bris on the shortlist acknowledges some of the more understated achievements of the season. Iraola has guided Bournemouth through another memorable campaign despite a difficult start to the season, while Andrews has earned recognition for Brentford’s performances after stepping into the dugout. Sunderland’s Le Bris, meanwhile, is overseeing arguably the finest season by a newly promoted club since Sheffield United finished ninth under Chris Wilder in 2019-20, a feat that speaks volumes for the work done at the Stadium of Light.