Manchester United: Michael Carrick is the correct choice at the right time – Reporter Notebook

After Michael Carrick’s appointment as Manchester United head coach until the end of the season, Sky Sports News reporter Dan Khan examines why he is the correct choice for the club…

I’ve had the pleasure of spending a bit of time with Michael Carrick in the last few months at two different charity events, the last being his own foundation’s boot collection at Macclesfield FC recently.

As I spoke to him off camera, I was left in awe.

We were in a room with former Rochdale player Luke Matheson, who scored against Manchester United at the age of 16 in the Carabao Cup in 2019.

Saturday 17th January 11:00am


Kick off 12:30pm

Carrick, who was part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s backroom staff at the time, remembered every moment of the game while talking to Matheson – whether it was details of the match or Rochdale’s coaching staff and where they are now.

One observation I have through my limited interactions with Carrick over these last few months is that he absolutely understands the significance of not just Manchester United, but how important football is as a tool to impact the community in various positive ways.

As he repeatedly said in his first interview with the club, ‘I am one of them,’ he said when referring to the fan base at Old Trafford.

You may ask, why is this important?

Carrick takes over a club that seems to be at an all-time low. Not just in terms of results and missed opportunities this season, but in terms of morale and confidence – whether that is the players or the Old Trafford attendees.

Being at Old Trafford after the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton, it was not about the performance or even about the result – it was more about what the loss meant in the grand context of where Manchester United are at.

Call it a climax of sustained mismanagement or a rude-awakening of years of decline, facts are facts: this United team have reached record-low numbers – whether it is the first time they’ve been knocked out of both cups in the first round since 1982 or having their lowest games in a season in over 110 years.

The atmosphere at Old Trafford was telling as well.

A crowd who have remained as patient as possible, who have repeatedly been praised for that same trait, are losing faith with the team that is in front of them.

It was telling after 14 months of Ruben Amorim (mostly) defending his players to the media and trying to protect them from the noise, Darren Fletcher had a different message to send after their FA Cup exit.

In his last news conference as interim, Fletcher repeated that the responsibility has to be on the players in the squad to step up and change the fortunes at the club. He even sounded emotional towards the end. A man who has seen the highest of the highs at the club gave the impression he was left more than unimpressed by what he had seen.

And that makes you wonder what Carrick’s new backroom staff, which includes the likes of Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate, will find as they take training for the first time this week.

Will it be a team still reeling from Amorim’s sacking, which happened just a couple of weeks ago?

Amorim made it clear he had to essentially babysit the players at Carrington and they were not capable of carrying on through training sessions without him. I am not sure that was truly the case but it is easy to forget some, if not much of this squad, has now had five different voices coach and lead them since the start of last season.

The team need consistency, time and more importantly – someone who can lead them.

Whether we will see a repeat of the sad period that former caretaker Ralf Rangnick led or a resurgence which Carrick’s competition for the role, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, led during his interim stint… well, that is what will make United an intriguing story for the rest of the season.

The good news for Carrick and United fans alike is he’ll have much needed fire-power back in his squad for when they take on Manchester City this weekend, with Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo having returned from AFCON.

As they have shown in recent years, once again this season, this team have seemingly performed better against ‘bigger’ opposition this season and have notched impressive wins against Liverpool and Newcastle United for example.

And who knows, maybe City will be the right type of opposition at the right time for this team.

They have shown in draws against Wolves, West Ham and Burnley in the last month just how much they struggle to break down teams, especially when they sit in a low-to-mid block and that is the last thing you would expect to see from a City team who feel like the entertainers of the league at this present time.

Carrick – the correct choice at the right time

We know United entertained two former players in Carrick and Solskjaer in this process, but it is important to point out the hierarchy – including director of football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada – would argue they were not looking to capitalise on nostalgia.

Instead they wanted an appointment who understood the club and could immediately hit the ground running, while also working in the current and relatively new leadership structure implemented at the club.

Carrick certainly does have the above. He spent 12 years at the club as a player while also working under Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer during his last stint at the club as a coach.

A balanced and determined individual who has grown from his last time at Old Trafford, it will be especially intriguing to see how Carrick develops the playing style he implemented at Middlesbrough. His 4-2-3-1 out of possession would morph into something more similar to a 3-2-5 when his side attacked, but his team perhaps lacked the firepower and flair required to maximise that type of system.

Whether this United are capable of showing the fight and passion to rescue their season remains to be seen, but Carrick’s calm and collected approach feels the right type of character required at a time this team could not be lower on confidence and form.

But it almost feels pointless looking too closely at his stint at Middlesbrough. He would himself admit how much he learned from his first permanent managerial position in football and has wisely stayed out of other positions to digest the two and a half years he had at his previous club.

United right not to return to Ole’s era… for now

Solskjaer felt like the right person to manage the club when he rejoined at the end of 2019. He gave United the lift they needed after the end of the Jose Mourinho era.

Although he was sacked in November 2021 after a turbulent run of performances and results, he had an incredibly moving exit interview that was published by the club where he was practically in tears saying goodbye.

There were undeniable highs from Solskjaer’s reign and perhaps if history had been tweaked – the Europa League final springs to mind – maybe we would frame his managerial pedigree in a different way with a European trophy to his name.

But do sequels often work, even if it is a temporary one?

Solskjaer’s return would have been a popular one. There is no doubting his connection and relationship to the club and its supporters but there would have been fair questions targeted at the hierarchy.

Since INEOS’ investment, they have attempted to modernise the club as much as they have felt is possible.

A revamped and improved training ground; a more data-led approach for recruitment and analysis; a drive to become best in class in several departments.

Going back to an appointment who worked under the previous regime led by Ed Woodward does not quite feel connected to the previous points mentioned.

Unfortunately for the Norwegian, we cannot forget history. We have to remember how Solskjaer’s reign ended in a chaotic, sad fashion.

His final five matches at the club included a crushing 5-0 defeat at home to Liverpool, an incredibly one-sided 2-0 loss to Manchester City and a 4-1 loss to Watford at Vicarage Road.

Context is required too. Perhaps what pulls at United fans’ heartstrings is that, after finishing second in his second full season in charge, there is an argument the carpet was pulled under him rather than letting him develop his system and style of play.

In the summer of 2021, when United should have reinforced in midfield and a youthful long-term striker, the club re-signed a 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo and added Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.

Ronaldo compromised the counter-attacking style of football Solskjaer had tried to implement, while Sancho never found a home in the team.

So maybe Solskjaer does deserve a reprieve for how his managerial era at the club ended, but perhaps he needs to rebuild his career elsewhere before a return to Old Trafford in the future.

Watch Carrick’s first game in charge as Manchester United host Man City on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Kick-off is at 12:30pm.

Man Utd’s next five fixtures

• January 17: Man City (H) – Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports
• January 25: Arsenal (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
• February 1: Fulham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports
• February 7: Tottenham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm
• February 10: West Ham (A) – Premier League, kick-off 8.15pm