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Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent
Manchester United assistant Eric Ramsay signed a contract to coach MLS side Minnesota United on Thursday, a source confirmed to ESPN.
The Loons had been without a permanent manager since Adrian Heath was let go last October with two games left to go in the 2023 regular season and Minnesota ultimately failed to make the postseason.
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The Loons have utilized two interim managers since, with first Sean McCauley, and then Cameron Knowles taking the reins. Knowles will be in charge when Minnesota opens this season this Saturday on the road against Austin FC.
Ramsay, 32, will be the youngest full-time managerial hire in MLS history, eclipsing current Houston Dynamo manager Ben Olsen, who was 33 when he was appointed by D.C. United in November of 2010, after initially taking over on an interim basis the previous August.
Ramsay’s appointment culminates an unsettled period for the Loons. In addition to his managerial duties, Heath also served as the team’s sporting director. Former Barnsley FC executive Khaled El-Ahmad replaced him last November, but El-Ahmad didn’t start until January, delaying the search for a new manager.
A source told ESPN that Ramsay’s official start date with the Loons is still to be determined as his visa paperwork still needs to be sorted out. The Athletic was the first to report Ramsay’s imminent hiring and that Ramsay would remain with United through a March 3 match against Manchester City.
Ramsay is regarded as a rising star in terms of coaching in the English game, having started at United when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was manager and continuing through with current boss Erik ten Hag. He also worked with the Wales men’s national team as an assistant coach for six months starting in March of 2023.