Speaking after Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Premier League leaders Arsenal, Michael Carrick spoke on whether he wants to take charge next season.
Manchester United were put on the back foot early on as Arsenal dominated proceedings, restricting their visitors to fleeting moments in the attacking half. The hosts’ pressure was rewarded just before the half-hour, with Lisandro Martínez diverting the ball into his own net.
That goal sparked a response from Michael Carrick’s side. Bryan Mbeumo went close almost immediately but was let down by a loose first touch. The forward made amends seven minutes later, pouncing on a wayward back pass from Martin Zubimendi and showing real composure to round David Raya and restore parity.
United carried that momentum into the second half and took the lead five minutes after the restart, Patrick Dorgu unleashing an outstanding strike to turn the game on its head.
Arsenal thought they had salvaged a point when they equalised from a scrappy corner late on, but substitute Matheus Cunha had other ideas, rifling home a superb winner in the 87th minute to secure a dramatic victory for United.
Carrick’s latest stance on permanent role next season
Michael Carrick took charge of Manchester United just three days before the derby against Man City, after an explosive end to Ruben Amorim’s tenure, and a winless two-game run with Darren Fletcher.
While many were optimistic about Carrick taking over until the end of the season, no one could have expected United to put on a dominant display against their rivals, before scoring three past the league’s best defence to come away from The Emirates with three points.
Speaking after the game to Sky Sports, Michael Carrick reflected on his short time in charge of his former club so far and gave his latest stance on the permanent head coach role next season.
When asked whether he wants to take charge next season, he said: “I’m enjoying it. It’s a fantastic position to be in. What happens next, I’m not going to be answering it every week. I’m enjoying it, and I’ll continue to do what I can.”
Is it too early to get carried away?
Michael Carrick’s previous managerial job came at Middlesbrough, taking over the side in October 2022, with the side languishing in 21st place in the Championship.
After taking over, the side went on a run of 16 wins out of 23 games, lifting them all the way to a play-off spot at the end of the season, and in his second season, he led them to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.
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Despite Carrick’s previous stance being that he has no intention of being in charge at Old Trafford past the summer, if results like this continue, and he secures Manchester United Champions League football next season, then there’s no reason as to why he shouldn’t at least be considered for the permanent job.
If Carrick’s men can continue these performances not just against the top sides, but against the bottom-half sides that they would be expected to beat, the momentum will only get bigger and bigger, and while some may argue that they don’t want a repeat of how it ended with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after his impressive start to the job a few seasons ago, Carrick could hardly have produced better back-to-back performances to prove them wrong.
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