Manchester United may not have gotten the result they had hoped for against West Ham, but Manchester United remain unbeaten in Michael Carrick’s five games in charge. Under his manager, the team has already defeated Arsenal and Manchester City.
Despite this, the club’s leaders have no intention of accelerating plans to appoint a new head coach, with Carrick still not the frontrunner to become Old Trafford’s next long-term manager.
To understand why, we have to dig into the new and solid philosophy at the heart of the club.
United have no plans to make a decision on the top post at this time. As suggested by Gary Neville, the hierarchy has begun the process of identifying potential targets. However, it has become clear to me that they have not yet spoken to any candidates and intend to wait until the end of the season before proceeding with an appointment.
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Gary Neville says Manchester United will not be ‘backtracked’ on their decision to hand Michael Carrick the managerial job after their impressive run of results.
Carrick’s team (along with Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, Trevor Binion and Jonny Evans) are in such good shape that they have placated bosses that there is no need to rush into making the next decision.
Yes, there are growing calls from some advocates and some experts that Carrick should be given the job now. He treats the media with care. My mood is high. The players are happy and enjoying training. The team is performing very well. The results are well and truly improving.
But committing to a long-term appointment now would go against everything United says their operations should be calm, thoughtful and strategic. There are no short-term fixes and certainly no decisions as important as the next head coach being made based on limited evidence from just five games.
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Free to watch: Highlights of the Premier League match between West Ham and Manchester United
The same resolute and methodical approach was evident in United’s transfer activities in January. Despite Ruben Amorim lamenting injury problems, missing AFCON and the lack of depth in the squad, no players were signed as ‘cover’ in the January transfer window. And since Carrick took over, there have been no new recruits. United are keeping the powder dry and their transfer kitty full for a summer central midfield transfer offensive. That’s the plan and they’re sticking to it.
Back to the head coach. Certainly, the leaders are happy with Carrick’s work and the dynamic between key members of the coaching staff. And if he continues to do well, especially if he can show off his football in the Champions League, he will definitely be one of the front runners in the summer. This was the standard he set, giving the impression that even if he missed out on the Old Trafford job, it could only improve his reputation and chances of securing another Premier League manager’s role in the future.
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The Sunday Supplement panel discusses whether Manchester United’s recent form of form cements Michael Carrick as long-term head coach.
Ironically, if Carrick were to qualify for the Champions League with 12 games remaining, it could unintentionally intensify the competition he faces for the top spot. The role of United manager now has less appeal than it did in the immediate aftermath of Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. But with a huge financial boost, will United re-enter Europe’s top club competition? That could make the job even more appealing to some of world soccer’s elite managers.
To that end, it is clear that United are determined to appoint someone with the strength of character and experience to deal with anything as their main player at Old Trafford.
There was a feeling within the hierarchy that the task was too big for Amorim. He said he was surprised by the amount of noise that came with the role. That was not the case with his predecessor, Erik ten Hag, but there were also lessons learned from his tenure. In both cases, United felt they had achieved a coup d’état by bringing in Europe’s brightest manager of the era. Neither was successful at Manchester United.
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Michael Carrick says he cannot make a ‘random’ decision about his long-term future after Manchester United won his first three games as head coach.
Such candidates are not wanted this time. Even if it’s not Carrick, if United can persuade that man to join, he could very well be one of the biggest names in world football.
Players like Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti have the wow factor, bright names and track records of winning multiple major trophies. Carrick can’t match them at that level, but he surpasses them in terms of knowing Old Trafford and the ‘Manchester United way’.
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The Sky Sports News fan club has noted that Michael Carrick and Liam Rosenior have started for Manchester United and Chelsea respectively, but who is doing better in the report card?
Carrick would be happy to work within United’s current structure, but that is not going to change. Wouldn’t Tuchel or Ancelotti, for example, want more say in transfer negotiations than Jason Wilcox or Omar Berrada are prepared to give? It must be remembered that United’s recent managerial history includes some of the biggest names in football. Neither Jose Mourinho nor Louis van Gaal were considered successful. It’s a memory that will last forever.
Carrick has had a sensational start as Manchester United’s head coach. Whether he gets the chance to continue in his role beyond the summer will have a lot to do with how the team performs under him between now and May, but will also depend on a number of further factors.
Whatever happens, United’s leaders won’t make a decision right away.
