Michael Carrick appointment is a no-brainer for Manchester United and he’s no soft touch – just ask Cristiano Ronaldo

The irony of Kobbie Mainoo scoring the goal that sealed Manchester United’s return to the Champions League after a two-year absence was not lost on me.

‘Manchester born and bred’ bellowed United’s stadium announcer over the PA system after Mainoo crashed in the winner against Liverpool at the Stretford End.

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Had it not been for Michael Carrick it is unlikely Mainoo would even have been at the club let alone on the pitch to spark such joyous scenes.

Mainoo’s emergence from want-away bench-warmer under Ruben Amorim to a key man in the Red Devils’ revival is just one of the reasons giving Carrick the job permanently is a no-brainer for the Old Trafford hierarchy.

‘You want to die for him on the pitch,’ proclaimed Mainoo after his match-winning heroics, while fellow goalscorer Matheus Cunha went even further by claiming his gaffer ‘has the magic’ of United’s golden era under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Carrick is as humble in his management career as he was wearing Roy Keane’s number 16 jersey during his trophy-laden United playing days so would blush at such a suggestion.

He is also too proud to publicly plead for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to hand him the reins on a long-term basis.

But having taken more points than any other manager since replacing the floundering Amorim and beating Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and now their great rivals from Merseyside along the way, what more could Carrick realistically do to stake his claim?

The record books show United were sixth when Amorim was sacked in early January so hardly cut adrift of the Champions League places, but that does not mask the amazing job Carrick has done.

Where Amorim too often allowed his emotions get the better of him, letting his erratic behaviour rub players up the wrong way, Carrick has brought the calm authority that embodied his time as United’s midfield general, that helped him win five Premier Leagues and a Champions League.   

He has also coaxed the best out of summer signing Benjamin Sesko, who was publicly slated by the Portuguese, causing friction with his pay-masters who had spent heavily on the Slovenian.

And by reintegrating Mainoo into the team, Carrick has allowed captain Bruno Fernandes to flourish in his natural no.10 position to such an extent it will be a surprise if he doesn’t break the record for the most assists in a Premier League season.

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One of the main argument’s for not appointing Carrick is that it ended sourly when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, another club legend, was given the gig full-time following a successful tenure as caretaker.

People forget Solskjaer led United to runners-up spot in the Premier League and to within penalty kicks of winning the Europa League.

He also survived longer than all of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho in what has become a poisoned chalice.

But above all Carrick is not the soft touch Solskjaer was and has already shown his ruthless streak by benching former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo during his first stint as interim.

He also does not get the proper credit for transforming Middlesbrough from relegation contenders to promotion contenders and Carabao Cup semi-finalists.

And as a Ferguson disciple Carrick understands the DNA of the club and has already proved he can carry the weight of the badge.

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The biggest compliment you can pay is that when he came in United were a laughing stock, having been dumped out of the Carabao Cup by lowly Grimsby, failed to beat ten-man Everton at home after stinking the place out in last season’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.

Nobody is laughing at United now, but they might be if INEOS and Sir Jim go autograph hunting, decide Carrick is not the man and it all goes south again.