After chaos of Amorim, Carrick has brought calm to Man United
After winning their fourth consecutive match – 2-0 against Tottenham Hotspur on February 7 – Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick entered the interview room next to the Old Trafford tunnel with a beaming smile. After speaking twice to the same channel earlier today, the former Manchester United midfielder, who has been named manager until the end of the season, joked that he was surprised “there are still questions”.
Four wins and a draw in five games have been welcome for United since Carrick’s arrival on January 13, as has the calm. During the checkered 14-month tenure, former boss Ruben Amorim always had questions, and many of them were difficult to answer. In contrast, Carrick brought a sense of tranquility.
The results obviously helped, but he also did his best to steady the ship in other ways. By the end of Amorim’s reign, the club’s management was beginning to feel anxious every time the Portuguese manager had to open his mouth. With Carrick, there are no such worries. No challenges were made to the owners for more support, nor were any players criticized by the public. Anything potentially controversial regarding team selection or United’s performance was carefully avoided.
In line with what Carrick considers to be United’s values, players have been reminded that they should view playing for the club as a privilege. It’s something he felt during his 12 years at the center of United’s midfield. Although he gave the team a clean slate – particularly positive for players cut by Amorim, such as Kobbie Mainoo – he also stressed the importance of taking responsibility for what happened before.
Carrick was previously part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad at United and was injured when the Norwegian was sacked in November 2021. When he took the reins for three games as caretaker manager, he told the players he would look at themselves first and they should do the same. He took a similar approach this time around.
He won the role in part because of his composure during interviews with CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox. According to some sources, there was a feeling that while it was clear he wanted the opportunity, he was not desperate for it. He remained silent during negotiations and even when his candidacy was made public, close friends said he “kept silent” on their WhatsApp groups.
After leaving Middlesbrough in the summer, Carrick kept busy with his charitable foundation and his punditry work. He was due to appear as a TV guest for the Manchester derby, but had to hastily cancel when it emerged he would be on the touchline instead.
Some around Carrick felt the United job was the only coaching role that would require him to return to the game full-time, particularly after he showed apparent indifference to talks with Wolves as they searched for a new manager in November. For many of the players who formed the core of successful teams under Sir Alex Ferguson, the opportunity to go back is impossible to turn down.
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Carrick is his own man, although much of the way he conducts himself is learned from Ferguson. What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room, and he has put the focus back on the academy.
One of the first things Carrick did when he accepted the job was to inform a select group of academy graduates that they would definitely be joining the senior squad for training. Under Amorim, young players often didn’t know until the morning whether they were needed to catch up with the first team.
On one occasion, Bruno Fernandes approached Amorim and his team to suggest that a young player be given more opportunities. This type of intervention is unlikely to be necessary under Carrick, who has taken it upon himself to quickly get up to speed with prospects progressing well.
With a 12-day gap between the 1-1 draw against West Ham and the trip to Everton on Monday, Carrick gave his players some time off, but he was in Manchester during his weekend to watch two United youth teams play Manchester City at the City Football Academy on Saturday morning. Keeping a low profile in a long black coat and sunglasses, he watched his son, Jacey, play for the under-16s before having a long chat with under-18s boss Darren Fletcher after their 3-1 win at an adjacent ground.
According to those around the club, Carrick was so focused on the day-to-day work that he rarely strayed into long-term planning. For example, he has had no conversations about bringing back Marcus Rashford this summer. The academy is an exception as it considers the promotion of young players from youth teams to be an important value of the club. Highly regarded winger Shea Lacey is one of his favorites.
Carrick has put United on course to qualify for Europe after taking 13 points from a possible 15, and a return to the Champions League is also in sight. In doing so, he has put himself on track to become permanent boss, although United remain committed to carrying out a comprehensive recruitment process.
If results continue in the same way – starting with Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium – the toughest questions he will face will be whether he hopes to get the full-time job.
A different character could make life difficult at the club with his responses in the hope of increasing the pressure and forcing the issue. Berrada and Wilcox won’t be worried – they already know Carrick isn’t the type to shake things up. After a tumultuous 14 months, everyone at Old Trafford is enjoying the calm.
