Manchester United fans shouldn’t get carried away with Michael Carrick. But why not?
So far, Carrick has shown that you don’t have to “suffer” to win football matches. Instead, he proved that football is a simple game.
However, the dilemma now is whether he deserves a permanent role or whether, despite the obvious turnaround at Old Trafford, United should still bite the bullet and stick to their original plan of appointing another permanent Ruben Amorim replacement.
Some fans have become more determined and the players are younger, but Roy Keane and Gary Neville remain cautious.
Keane said United needed a manager who “looks like we can win the league title”, while Neville said it was “unthinkable” that Carrick would take the job ahead of Derby Day’s win over league leaders Arsenal.
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Watch for free: Premier League highlights of Arsenal vs. Manchester United
But the fact that United fans are exposed to football against Man City and Arsenal, both teams at the top of the Premier League, cannot be taken for granted.
Carrick praised Patrick Dorg’s performance against Arsenal, with Neville saying United’s stand-in manager held up his hand like a “savior” as the side lost 2-1 against Arsenal. What United have experienced in just two games is what they have been waiting for and predicting for more than a decade.
The soccer that Carrick taught works because he allowed soccer to become an art of self-expression, rather than treating the game like an exact science.
Players playing to their strengths, with a touch of nostalgia, was the secret to Carrick’s early success, and the team was no longer required to follow elaborate instructions that never made clear what the final product would be.
Carrick’s United side play direct and on the front foot, and have so far perfectly exemplified the ‘United DNA’, creating more fast breaks on average than any other team in the league.
Brian Mbeumo leads the line as he has scored the most points behind per 90 in the Premier League this season. Bruno Fernandes remains one of the most powerful chance creators in the league and has returned to his favorite number 10 position. Dorgu remained a wide player due to his consistent play high up the pitch.
Carrick has had few complaints about his current situation as he has had little time on the training pitch since joining the team midway through the season. Why does it exist? Just as he was given a free blow in 2021 following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjær, he will also be given a free blow at Old Trafford. Reinstalling the foundation, as he did then, became an act of genius.
In fact, these are all part of what United can expect from their new permanent manager’s first two games. Perhaps if it hadn’t been Carrick, perhaps if it had been someone new in the dugout, there would have been unanimous approval that he should be the next in charge. Unfortunately, United have been here before.
A crushing 3-1 defeat by Liverpool in December 2018 meant the end of Jose Mourinho’s time at United.
United were described as toxic, much like Old Trafford had deteriorated under Mourinho, who was growing dissatisfied with his role and losing support among his squad. Solskjaer had the opportunity to come on and press his mark and he did it in style.
The 5-1 victory in Cardiff saw Solskjaer and United complete a 12-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. A positive vibe permeated the venue and the style changed to something closer to the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson.
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Roy Keane admits Manchester United have “momentum” under Michael Carrick but believes he is not suitable for a permanent role
There’s something about a team that is fearless in transition, as we’ve seen under Carrick, that United fans love to watch.
Solskjær was appointed United’s permanent manager in March 2019 after winning 14 of 19 interim games, including a stunning come-from-behind victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Solskjaer’s interim effort boosted United’s chances of breaking into the top four at the time.
But when United appointed Solskjær, everyone returned from their honeymoon with the reality that Solskjaer was an inexperienced manager whose positive energy outweighed his mastery in the role. United quickly crashed and burned that season, winning just two of their last eight games and missing out on a top-four finish.
A similar pattern continued throughout Solskjaer’s three years in charge. United finished third and second under Solskjær, but infamously failed to get over the line and achieve any real success.
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Take a look at some of the team’s best goals during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time in charge at Manchester United.
United fans look back on their time under Solskjær with perhaps the most fondness since Ferguson retired in 2013, but nothing concrete has been achieved under a manager who simply made United feel good.
United under Solskjaer were a mostly solid team, reaching the semi-finals of every cup competition multiple times, until the 2021 Europa League final, which ended with a penalty shootout defeat to Villarreal.
David de Gea’s missed penalty was seen by many as the true sliding door moment that ultimately spelled the end of Solskjaer’s role as manager, but the truth is United were back-to-back losers when pushed into a corner.
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Gary Neville has praised the confidence that has surged throughout Manchester United’s squad after the win over Arsenal, saying the turnaround in recent weeks has been amazing.
There is a fundamental reluctance to repeat the same mistakes as Carrick. When United chose to appoint Solskjær permanently, the government at the time also lost the opportunity to appoint Zinedine Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino, who were rumored to be potential candidates at the time.
If United appoint Carrick permanently, they would be missing out on the opportunity to take advantage of the managerial flourishes available to achieve what they have attempted in the past.
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Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry discuss who to choose as Manchester United’s next manager
There is no reason to suggest that Carrick will be as good or worse than Solskjaer, but after years of experimentation, the United manager’s next decision feels like his most important yet.
It could be the difference between returning to a team worthy of its name and reputation or remaining stuck in a cycle of failure.
Current evidence suggests that Mr Carrick would be a wise appointment. But if United want to do something new, no matter how well Carrick does, he shouldn’t be among the future candidates. Fans will go crazy as they are allowed to. But INEOS must make another era-defining decision.
