Michael Carrick and Manchester United’s Bold Choice: Trust the Revival or Reset Again?
When Michael Carrick was handed the keys to Manchester United on an interim basis, the appointment was almost dismissed before it began. The reaction from many pundits was less about what he could do and more about what he supposedly could not.
Gary Neville was firm that Carrick should not be considered for the permanent role under any circumstances, even before a ball had been kicked. Roy Keane went further, bluntly insisting that Carrick had done nothing to “deserve” the Manchester United job and was merely benefiting from his status as a former player.
That narrative ignored context. Carrick did not just walk into Old Trafford from nowhere. He spent years learning the game at the highest level under José Mourinho, absorbing the mentality of a serial winner. He then worked closely with Ole Gunnar Solskjær, understanding the club’s culture, its identity, and its expectations. When chaos struck previously, he had already stepped in as interim manager and handled the pressure with composure. Later, at Middlesbrough, he cut his teeth as a permanent manager, flirting with promotion to the Premier League more than once and proving he could build a team that played with structure and purpose.
Before his arrival, Rúben Amorim had convinced many that this group of players simply wasn’t good enough. Champions League talk felt delusional, optimism irresponsible. Carrick has challenged that assumption without making grand statements or tactical manifestos. The football is sharper, the tempo higher, the players visibly lighter. Whether it’s “vibes” or something deeper, it almost doesn’t matter. Results are the currency of this job, and Carrick is cashing in.
The uncomfortable truth for Manchester United is that there is no risk-free decision ahead. If the club gives Carrick the job permanently and things collapse next season, critics will say they should have hired a more experienced name. If they let him go after a strong finish and bring in another manager, and that manager struggles, fans will ask why they abandoned a coach who had already fixed the team.
Either way, someone will complain. Either way, it will be labelled a mistake by someone. That is the reality of elite football management.
Since Alex Ferguson retired, United have tried almost every managerial profile available. Proven winners in Louis van Gaal and Mourinho. A system coach in Erik ten Hag. A modern, upward-trending project coach in Amorim. Each appointment arrived with logic, pedigree, and reassurance, and each ultimately failed to restore United to where they believe they belong.
So why keep starting again?
Carrick is not an experiment anymore; he is evidence in motion. If he guides Manchester United back into the UEFA Champions League, the argument for continuity becomes compelling. Rather than tearing everything down and starting from scratch in the summer, the club should consider building on what is already working.
Football has no guarantees. Every managerial appointment is a gamble. The question is not whether Carrick is perfect; it is whether he has shown enough to earn trust. Right now, the answer is increasingly difficult to ignore.
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