Gary Neville has said he will not be “backtracked” on his decision to hand Michael Carrick the managerial job after Manchester United’s impressive run of results.
Carrick led United to a fourth successive win in the Premier League on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over 10-a-side Tottenham.
The win moved United within three points of third-placed Aston Villa in the race for Champions League qualification.
Carrick’s total record as manager at Old Trafford was six wins from seven games, including three in a row in 2021, but Neville warned United would not rush into making a decision amid growing support for him to keep the job beyond the end of the season.
“Manchester United have started the process of finding a new manager.”
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The Sunday Supplement panel discusses whether Manchester United’s recent form solidifies Carrick as long-term head coach.
The player told the Gary Neville Podcast: “I made my position clear a few weeks ago and I’m not going to repeat it every week, but what I’ve done is actually talked to the club because, after all, clubs are always asked by journalists and broadcasters what their position is.
“It’s a very difficult situation. There’s a huge movement now towards giving Carrick the job and insisting that he should really be considered. That’s going to get bigger the more he wins and the closer he gets to Champions League football.”
“I asked the club what is the official position of the football club in terms of what you are saying publicly to other people. I have to say their answer was pretty good. They actually said they have now started the process and are starting to look for another manager, which I thought was right.”
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Carrick says Manchester United cannot make ‘random’ decisions about his long-term future after winning his first three games as head coach
“I’m happy about that because you have to plan for everything. They’ve started the process of talking to other managers, looking into it, building all kinds of data and analyzing who should be the next manager of the football club. But what they’ve said is that regardless of wins or losses on the pitch over the next few months, they’re not going to bounce back on naming a manager. They’re going to wait towards the end of the season.”
“If Michael was willing to take the job at that point, which I actually said a few weeks ago, I wondered if Michael would actually say no. He’s the type of guy Michael is, someone who always works in the best interests of the football club. He might do it or he might say no. I feel comfortable enough and have built good relationships with the players and the coaching staff to put his name on the line.”
“At that point Michael Carrick, like recruiters at other companies in the country, will be looking at what the process will be like compared to Thomas Tuchel and other people who will be hired in the summer. I think that’s fair.”
“United have a great chance of qualifying for the Champions League.”
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur
Carrick’s arrival has certainly lifted the mood at Old Trafford, although United were winless in four competitive games and just one in seven before the former midfielder took over following Ruben Amorim’s departure at the start of January.
And Neville was full of praise for the work his former team-mates have done to turn Man United’s fortunes around, saying the position they are in was unthinkable a few weeks ago.
Neville said: “I can’t believe Manchester United are here.”
“I watched six of the seven games before Ruben Amorim was sacked. Then Darren Fletcher took over and the game against Burnley was terrible. It was a real shocker. What Michael Carrick has done, he has instantly rebuilt trust and belief. The players are listening straight to the point. They believe in the message and it’s been a complete turnaround.”
“But he has done more than that. The results have been great, the performances have been great and I like what I see. He has rebuilt faith in the 4-4-1-1 playing system and the way United should always play.”
United are now three points behind third-placed Aston Villa in the race for Champions League qualification.
“Everything is going really, really well for United at the moment.
“They look like they have an incredible chance[of qualifying for the Champions League]but that’s due to the fact that they don’t have the chaos and a chaotic fixture list like other teams.”
“You would think they have a big chance now given that Carrick has embarked on the task of getting into the Champions League, which was unthinkable and unthinkable just four or five weeks ago.”
“If they win four or five more games they will almost certainly qualify for the Champions League and that would be unbelievable.
“By the way, if you think about what position Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berada and Jason Wilcox probably thought they would be in a few weeks ago, they would be in a great position (in terms of appointing a new manager).”
