Is Michael Carrick the Right Man for United?

Michael Carrick is the new interim manager for Manchester United and took over his first game in his second stint as interim manager in a 2-0 win over local rivals Manchester City last Saturday at Old Trafford.

This was a game in which United played beautiful football, contained and countered, and created 6 big chances, 5 of which came in the second half. That translated into United getting the win and keeping a clean sheet despite being out-possessed throughout the game.

Michael Carrick was able to beat the likes of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Ruud van Nistelrooy to land the interim role until the end of the season and potentially for the foreseeable future.

Why exactly was Michael Carrick able to land the interim role, and is he also the right man for the foreseeable future at the club?

Why Was Carrick Selected?

United wanted to go in the direction of bringing in a familiar face for the interim managerial position for the duration of the season’s end.

This slimmed down the process to just three names: Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Michael Carrick, and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Several sources informed ESPN that club director Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada met with Ole and Michael Carrick face-to-face, and with Ruud van Nistelrooy via an online meeting.

The club wanted to go in this direction so they could hit the ground running and push for Champions League football at the business end of the season.

Personally, I see that the club wanted a fresh start for the new season: a new manager, a proper preseason, and experimenting with the squad without risking too much with a lot to play for in the current season.

This brings back the question: why Carrick?

Contract disputes

There were several reports that, upon Champions League qualification, Ole Gunnar Solskjær would have wanted the job on a permanent basis beyond this season.

While Carrick wasn’t really fantasising about the idea of getting the job on a permanent basis, which is what director of football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada wanted.

Several reports also stated that Michael Carrick was very keen to work with Director of Football Jason Wilcox, and both Wilcox and Omar Berrada were really pleased with Carrick’s answers and, most importantly, his compromise.

Michael Carrick was also keen to work with the available structure within the club, and the club could provide for the meantime.

Familiar backroom staff

According to SI reports, Ruben Amorim’s backroom staff were also sacked, and the club needed new backroom staff alongside the new interim manager.

The appointment of Carrick’s backroom staff was a huge factor in his hiring. Carrick’s backroom staff, like Jonathan Woodgate, are familiar with Wilcox, as they were teammates at Leeds, including the 1999/2000 season.

Both men (Jason Wilcox and Michael Carrick) were fixated and came to an agreement to bring in Steve Holland to the club as Michael Carrick’s interim assistant manager. Steve Holland previously worked with Southgate as England’s assistant manager.

The backing of Ferguson

The backing from Sir Alex Ferguson also played a major part in Carrick getting the interim role.

Football 365 claimed that both Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada’s meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson played a crucial role in Carrick getting the United interim job, stating:

“Omar and Jason spoke to Sir Alex. They met over breakfast to discuss three guys who had all played under him in the past. Some might criticise that, so you can’t win. But Sir Alex knows Michael, Ole, and Ruud better than anyone, so Omar and Jason canvassed his opinion.”

This also shows that it is down to Sir Alex, as he knows all 3 men very well and has spent considerable time with them. Both Omar and Jason Wilcox had to go with what Sir Alex said because he knows all three men very well.

Sources in SI reports claimed that Solskjær had the support of both Omar and Jason Wilcox but lacked Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s backing.

Jason Wilcox will also be thrilled that the club went with whom he wanted this time around, as he wasn’t really a fan of the club going for Ruben Amorim last season in November 2024.

Also, the fact that Carrick met with the United board before the other two candidates played a huge role, as he left a positive, lasting impact on the CEO and Director of Football.

Who Exactly Is Michael Carrick?

Michael Carrick, born on 28th July 1981, began his playing career in 1997, coming through the ranks from West Ham United, where he won the FA Youth Cup in 1999.

He was sent on loan to Swindon in 1999 and Birmingham in February 2000, and returned to West Ham United in March 2000.

He became a regular first-team player for West Ham during the 2000/2001 season; however, the Hammers suffered relegation in 2003, and he made over 150 appearances for the club before leaving in 2004.

The English international joined London rivals Tottenham in August 2004 for a fee of around £2.7M, spending about 2 seasons at the club before moving to Manchester United in the summer of 2006.

Carrick went on to fully establish himself at United, spending 12 years at the club, during which we won everything winnable in the Premier League and continental trophies, including the Champions League in 2008 and the Europa League in 2017.

The English midfielder eventually hung up his boots in July 2018, becoming a club legend and one of the most successful players in United history.

Stint at Boro

After his short stint at United as interim manager, where he took charge of three games, winning two and drawing one, he went over to take charge of Middlesbrough in October 2022.

His tenure was a rollercoaster, sparked by an immediate impact: he won four of his first six games, sparking a turnaround filled with fluid, entertaining offensive football, and he guided Middlesbrough to a fourth-place finish despite taking over when they were twenty-first in the league.

Michael Carrick guided them to the playoff semis, where they lost a narrow second-leg game to Coventry after a goalless first leg. Carrick achieved this with the 4231 formation, in which Boro ranked 1st in the Championship for goals, total shots, and touches in the opposition box.

One of the notable things in his stint was the player development, where he was able to get the best of players like Akpom, who became the championship top scorer with 28 goals, as well as Morgan Rogers, who we know today as Aston Villa’s best player this season, with his traits being his immense ball carrying, playmaking and the damage he’s able to cause on the left-hand side of the flank.

In his last two seasons at Boro, Carrick was unable to replicate that formula, as they finished 8th in 2023/24 and 10th in 2024/25, and he was eventually let go in June 2025.

One of the reasons was inconsistent results that led to them missing the playoffs on two occasions, and fans grew frustrated at Carrick for not exactly having a plan B in his tactical approach, as well as having a lacklustre defensive structure where they conceded lots of goals, letting in 153 goals throughout his tenure as Middlesbrough manager.

Is Carrick a good fit for United?

Former United manager Ruben Amorim averaged 1.43 points, winning 25, drawing 15 and losing 23 in 63 games throughout his 14-month tenure as manager of the club.

Current interim manager Michael Carrick averaged 1.57 points, winning 63 games, drawing 24 and losing 49 games in 136 throughout his two and a half years as manager of Middlesbrough. Which is also more than the 38% win rate accumulated by Amorim, which is statistically among the worst by any permanent United manager in modern history.

Personally, I think Carrick is a good fit for United, especially in terms of the formation which he would deploy, as he usually sets up a 4-2-3-1 formation with a back four, a double pivot midfield which will obviously be Casemiro and Mainoo, and Bruno Fernandes in his natural position as an attacking midfielder, to the delight of a lot of United fans, two wingers and a lone striker.

But most importantly, it isn’t just about formation; it’s also about tactics and style of play. For Carrick, that means a mid-block, counter-pressing style, which was successful under Alex Ferguson and has been integrated by Ole and Ten Hag in their first season.

This style of play was evident in their 2:0 win over local rivals, which he countered to secure the result. In big games, he prefers to win the midfield battle, outplay opponents, control the game, and get all three points, especially against weaker opposition.

What do United fans think?

I reached out to two longtime United fans and digital creators who have supported United for 18 and 27 years, respectively.

And asked questions like, ‘Is Carrick the lasting solution to the managerial hunt at United? They both stated that the need for time and patience, as well as a UCL qualification, was a crucial factor in that decision.

Also asked questions like whether United were right to go with Carrick over Ole, and whether they were both on the same page about giving Michael Carrick a chance in this situation, and maybe a new experience might help rejuvenate the squad.

However, both were divided on the thought of Rashford coming back to United, with one stating the need for a new left winger and the other seeing the need for Rashford in Carrick’s tactical setup.

Lastly, they were asked whether there was tactical alignment between United and Carrick, specifically regarding the mid-block and formation, as both are crucial to the alignment between Carrick and United.

Conclusion…

To be fair, it is too early to give an assessment or see if Carrick might end up as permanent manager or end up leaving the club with several high-profile managers being available in the summer, with the likes of Enrique, Xavi, Glasner, Maresca and Iraola.

With the World Cup looming as well, if some countries with elite managers don’t get far in the World Cup, they might get sacked, and United might end up calling with Didier Deschamps, already leaving his position as French Manager at the end of the World Cup. It’s still too early to tell what the outcome will be.

The new managerial bounce might also play a factor here, with wins in Carrick’s first two games, with wins over Manchester City and Arsenal at the Emirates, the managerial bounce continues to kick in like how it happened with Ole in late 2018 and ended up being manager in 2019, but at the same it could all be a farce.