Could Carrick be the right man for Manchester United?

Michael Carrick may leave the Man United hierarchy in a tricky situation if he continues to produce the type of results we’ve seen from him in his first two games in charge.

United have pulled off spectacular wins over City and Arsenal in Carrick’s first two games as caretaker Head Coach.

While it may be premature to declare Carrick the man to turn things around at United, taking over a team that had previously looked largely uninspiring and securing victories over the Premier League’s first and second-placed sides is certainly worthy of praise.

After retiring in 2018, Carrick immediately joined Manchester United’s coaching staff under José Mourinho. Over the years, he worked alongside three different United managers and even stepped in as interim manager himself for a three-game spell in 2021, winning two matches and drawing one.

Carrick was offered his first breakthrough in charge of a club when he was appointed Head Coach at Championship side Middleborough in 2022. He made an immediate impact, turning around a team struggling near the relegation zone and guiding them to a fourth-place finish in the Championship during the 2022–23 season. This earned Boro a spot in the promotion play-offs, though they were ultimately defeated by Coventry City in the semi-finals.

In the following seasons, however, consistency proved elusive. Middleborough finished eighth in 2023–24, missing out on the play-offs, though they did enjoy a notable EFL Cup semi-final run, beating Chelsea in the first leg before a heavy loss in the second.

The 2024–25 season saw further regression, with Boro finishing 10th, four points outside the play-off places and after two-and-a-half years in charge, Carrick was sacked in June 2025.

There was plenty of talk surrounding the appointment of Carrick and there has been even more since United’s two recent wins.

Following the win over Arsenal, Roy Keane was brutal in his response when asked if Carrick deserved the job on a full-time basis on Sky Sports.

"You're being silly now,” Keane said. “Two great performances, but anybody can win two games. It's what he does until the end of the season, and even if they do get into fourth I'm not convinced he's the man for the job. Absolutely not. I think they need a bigger and better manager. But he's got the opportunity. What a chance for him and he's taken it, so fair play to him."

Gary Neville, another former United player turned pundit, shares the view that the club must avoid getting carried away with recent results. He insists that better managerial options will become available by the end of the season.

“I’ve got an enormous amount of respect for him,” explained Neville to Sky Sports. “I think it’s right that Carrick keeps the job until the end of the season but hands the baton on to someone who is a world class manager.”

A number of names have been suggested as potential candidates for the United job at the end of the season. Following the summer World Cup, current England manager Thomas Tuchel will become available, with his contract set to expire. Given his success at top clubs like PSG and Chelsea, Tuchel could be an attractive option for the United board.

Carlo Ancelotti will also be a free agent after finishing his duties with Brazil in the summer and with multiple league titles and Champions League trophies to his name, he could be seen as a strong candidate and someone who will bring calm and pragmatic approach.

Oliver Glasner is another manager United may take interest in, he has done an incredible job with Crystal Palace since joining the club in 2024. The Austrian led Palace to their first major trophy the following year, by defeating Manchester City 1–0 in the FA Cup final before finishing the season in twelfth place with a club record 53 points.