COULD MICHAEL CARRICK BE THE KEY?
Absolutely amazing! Those were the two most mentioned words from a variety of fans and pundits across the world following Manchester United’s performance in the Manchester derby.
Michael Carrick was brought in to serve as caretaker manager until the end of the season, marking his second tenure with the club. Carrick had to reprise the role back in 2021 when Ole Gunnar Solskjær was sacked, and he did well to lead the club to two wins and a draw before Ralf Rangnick was brought in by the hierarchy. However, his return to United stunned the world as the Red Devils outclassed their noisy neighbours in all departments in the 2-0 win over the weekend, and people are already calling for him to be given the full-time job. So, the understanding is that United will take their time and bring in a seasoned manager in the summer, with Oliver Glasner and Thomas Tuchel early frontrunners to get the job, but if Carrick does an incredible job and gets United Champions League football next season, fans will be eager to see him continue in his role.
The major thing here is that this scenario has happened before when Solskjaer was given the full-time job following his incredible start, going on an 11-game winning streak. The Norwegian was sacked later, and United do not want to go down this road again. If we must be honest about the history of appointed managers, post Sir Alex Ferguson, none of them have been able to crack the code and serve for a term longer than three years.
Nobody knows and will never know who the right man for the job is. All types of managers have come in with their different approaches, but all have failed, or rather, the board hasn’t given them the time due to modern-day football’s need for immediate success. However, United’s domination of City from start to finish was a teaser to what the club is capable of, and if that can be consistent, who’s to say they cannot compete for the title next season, under Carrick?
For now, the next step is arguably the toughest test this season, a visit to the Emirates. United faced the Gunners on the opening day of the season and played extremely well, but Arsenal snuck in a goal and won, much to the disbelief of fans and ex-manager Ruben Amorim. If the Red Devils can get a result this weekend. It will give United’s board much to think about.
This Sunday is sure to be a cracking encounter if United continue in that manner they dispatched City.
