Michael Carrick is 4-4, Manchester United are rejuvenated and the similarities to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s instant impact in 2018 are striking.
Carrick had his first taste of managing United as caretaker manager following Solskjær’s departure in 2021, but skepticism about his long-term suitability for the role is tied to the former super-sub’s failure to sustain his incredible start.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
But Old Trafford is buzzing again and there is no doubt that Carrick has restored the flow, feel and freedom that United enjoyed when the Norwegian took the wheel in Solskjaer’s early days in 2018-19.
Goals are flying in, the No. 10 is untethered and pulling the strings, and there is a sense of confidence flowing through the team, as if Man United’s traditional style of play has been restored.
Carrick’s United side have scored 10 goals in his four games in charge, but in Amorim’s last four games they have only scored one goal per game. This is not as many as Solskjær’s goal total at his interim start, but his opponents are trickier and could easily have scored more, especially against City.
“After some negative performances under Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer appears to have given his players more freedom to express themselves,” we wrote on these pages in 2018, when United beat Cardiff 5-1 in Solskjaer’s first game.
The same sentiment applies to Carrick’s United. The game plan is simplified, but the team is, as he himself said, “playing with purpose.”
And who is the chief creator? Back in 2018, Paul Pogba was 10th. The scapegoat of the Mourinho era, made headlines by Solskjaer Pogba’s famously frosty training ground greeting with the manager, has often been renewed.
Paul Pogba and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrate the two goals that helped Man United beat Bournemouth 4-1 in 2018
Solskjær’s four goal involvements in his first two games were the same as Mourinho’s goal tally in his last 12 games. His four goals in Solskjaer’s second and third legs were the same number as Mourinho’s last 20 goals.
Bruno Fernandes’ performances have been impressive all season, especially given United’s struggles under Amorim. But he, too, has moved back into the number 10 role from a deeper position, thanks to Carrick’s tactical reforms, and is now playing with even more vigor.
Fernandes has four assists and one goal in four games under Carrick. “Carrick came in with the right ideas and gave the players responsibility and freedom on the pitch,” said the United captain, who scored the decisive second goal against Spurs on Saturday.
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The Sunday Supplement panel will discuss whether Manchester United’s recent form of form solidifies Michael Carrick’s place as long-term head coach.
The goal came from a great cross from Diogo Dalot, but United also had some great performances on the break against City and Arsenal. It was high energy, intense, and end to end. It’s a throwback to the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson, who coached and inspired both Solskjaer and Carrick.
“We’ve been made to believe we can’t play like Manchester United,” Neville said after the derby win. “For the last three, four, five years, I’ve been told, ‘Next, you can’t play that way anymore.’
“I saw 90 minutes of exactly what I think this club plays when they are really at their best.”
In another tribute to the club’s great tradition, Solskjaer became the first United manager since Sir Matt Busby to win four games. Now in a permanent role, Carrick is on a repeat streak.
But what happens next?
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Gary Neville says Manchester United will not be ‘backtracked’ on their decision to give Michael Carrick the managerial job.
Solskjaer won his first six Premier League games on spin and Carrick will be able to emulate that next time at West Ham and Everton. Matching Solskjaer’s return of 14 wins from his first 19 would be really good.
But infamously, Solskjaer managed just two wins out of the remaining 10 games that season after signing the permanent post.
Roy Keane’s recent comments that Carrick should not be appointed even if they win every game until the end of this season have sparked debate, reflecting the hurt caused by Solskjaer’s appointment and how he has proven not to be the long-term solution.
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Roy Keane has admitted Manchester United have “momentum” under manager Michael Carrick, but believes he is not suitable for a permanent role.
“They need a bigger and better manager,” Keane said after the win against Arsenal. “Given the size of the club and the challenges we face over the next few years, we need a manager who feels we can win the league title.”
Solskjær went on to win the High League twice and lose the Europa League final on penalties, but his heavy investment in the team in the transfer market meant that he ultimately failed to win the title he had hoped for.
Carrick has had a similar start to Solskjær, but are the foundations now being laid for real long-term success at a club that has experienced a number of false dawns since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement?
Discussions about whether Carrick can take the team to the next level will continue over the final months of the season until his current contract expires in the summer, when United will consider a replacement. But make no mistake, Carrick once again upped the ante at Old Trafford and gave his all.
