Gary Neville has said Michael Carrick should not become Manchester United manager at the start of next season and has set out a list of three candidates he would like to see take his place.
Carrick will replace Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford on Tuesday and will be tasked with leading the club, who won five Premier League titles as a player, to European qualification before the end of the season.
Neville wished his former team-mate well but warned that a new manager’s turnaround under Carrick, no matter how transformative, should not be seen as a long-term solution.
“I hope Michael does really well,” former United captain Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast.
“We could be sitting here with the fans excited at the end of the season, with the team fifth in the table and back in the Champions League places, and we could all be at the mercy of it.
“However, even if we win all our games, it is inconceivable for Michael to remain in the job beyond the end of this season, for the sake of Michael and the club.”
Neville: I’ve seen this movie before.
Neville accepted the decision to sack Amorim and hand over the reins to Carrick until the end of the season, which ultimately turned out to be the right decision, but he was disappointed by the sense of déjà vu it left him with.
“When Amorim was sacked and I started hearing the names of Michael, Ole (Gunnar Solskjær) and Ruud (van Nistelrooy), I felt a bit sad, like ‘here we go again’,” he said.
“We’ve been there before with Ole and Giggsy (Ryan Giggs) when David Moyes was sacked and we’ve seen this film before.
“I don’t think the club had any other options at the moment and I think most United fans would agree with the decision to wait until the end of the season because they have a new manager.”
“But if they don’t get a manager in the summer, there’s going to be a lot of pressure. They must think they’re going to get one of the big names, otherwise they wouldn’t have appointed a fill-in manager now.”
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Manchester United appoint Carrick as interim head coach until the end of the season
Neville backs Ancelotti, Tuchel and Pochettino
Carrick’s return to Old Trafford will be his second year as caretaker manager and his 12th managerial change under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Neville outlined the key qualities United’s next permanent manager should have and explained why Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino are the best fit for the job.
“Manchester United have tried everything when it comes to appointing a manager, absolutely everything,” Neville said. “They just have to try to remove the risk now.
“Who can handle the media? Who can organize the locker room? Who can handle the ownership? Who will play a style of football that the fans will at least enjoy watching? Who has Champions League experience? Who has big game experience?”
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Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett explains why Manchester United appointed Carrick as interim manager ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
“The three that stand out are Tuchel, Ancelotti and Pochettino. They all have the potential to be available after the World Cup. Eddie Howe is another who won trophies, finished in the top four and managed a big club in Newcastle.”
“To make United an attractive club for players, Tuchel and Ancelotti are bringing seriousness to the matter. If you appoint a young manager, United will lose players.”
“United are going to be missing a lot of players anyway, but someone like Ancelotti would encourage players to come. They need that now because you don’t know if players will be lining up to come in unless you have players you can trust.”
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Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett explains why Manchester United appointed Carrick as interim manager ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Manchester United’s next 5 games
January 17: Man City (H) – Premier League, kick-off 12:30pm, live on Sky Sports January 25: Arsenal (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4:30pm, live on Sky Sports February 1: Fulham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports February 7: Tottenham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 12:30pm, live on Sky Sports February 10: West Ham (A) – Premier League, kick-off 8:15pm
