Michael Carrick appears to have entered the running for the full-time head coach position at Manchester United.
When Rúben Amorim was sacked, Manchester United fans assumed there would be a plan in place to replace him until a more permanent manager could be found.
But this time, rather than appointing a new full-time head coach mid-season, United’s higher-ups have chosen to wait and instead chose Michael Carrick to lead the club until the end of the season. He narrowly beat his former manager, Ole Gunnar Solsjkær to the role after Darren Fletcher’s interim period.
Since he replaced Fletcher, Carrick has turned United into a completely new side, with impressive wins against Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two games, despite only three days at Carrington before the derby at Old Trafford.
When he was first appointed, it appeared Carrick would only be in the dugout until the end of the season, but the performances appear to have thrown his name into the managerial hat. Perhaps Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel’s contract extensions have left CEO Omar Berrada without another clear target.
Ratcliffe’s thoughts on Carrick
Being co-owner of Manchester United is just one of many responsibilities for Sir Jim Ratcliffe. He was seen at the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend, sat alongside Toto Wolff in the Mercedes garage, as INEOS own a third of the team.
When walking in the paddock, Sky Sports asked Ratcliffe for his take on Carrick’s stint in charge of United. “He is doing an excellent job. Yeah, absolutely,” said Ratcliffe.
He was then asked if Carrick had done so well as to warrant him a permanent position at the club, to which he replied: “No, not going there!”
He was also asked about United’s Champions League hopes: “Clearly, we’re thinking about that, but there are still seven or eight games to go, so still a while yet.”
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Carrick must prove himself against Villa
While Carrick undoubtedly had a brilliant start to his second stint in charge of United – he also managed the club after Solskjær was sacked, before Ralf Rangnick was appointed – the more recent showings haven’t been as impressive.
United looked toothless against Newcastle United, despite playing against 10 men for the entirety of the second half, while it took Benjamin Šeško’s brilliance to rescue points against West Ham United and Everton – two other poor performances.
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Carrick will need an impressive performance and, more importantly, three points this weekend to put himself at the top of the head coach shortlist.
After 29 games played, United are level with Aston Villa on 51 points in the Premier League, only ahead by goal difference.
It simply has to be a win on Sunday.
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