Has Manchester United found its Mr. Right in Michael Carrick?

In early January, Ruben Amorim became the sixth permanent Manchester United manager or head coach to be dismissed since the legendary Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. The sacking ended another chapter of woe for the club, which has declined since the Ferguson era.

When Michael Carrick, a vital cog during Ferguson’s glory years, was appointed on a caretaker basis, he looked to have been handed a baptism of fire. The former Red Devils midfielder, who returned to Old Trafford to manage a side that had won just once in seven matches, had to face Manchester City and Arsenal in the first two games of his reign.

Memorable results

But Carrick has delivered two memorable victories over the Premier League’s top two sides, sparking speculation over whether the 44-year-old deserves to remain in the role beyond the end of the season. He still has plenty to prove but could not have made a better start to his quest to bring Champions League football back to Old Trafford for the first time in three seasons.

United looked transformed during a 2-0 home win over Manchester City — Carrick’s first game in his second spell in temporary charge — producing a performance full of attacking verve. The victory seemed to banish the gloom at a stroke, United ripping Pep Guardiola’s title contender to shreds with the sort of swashbuckling football that has been ⁠beyond it for so long.

Carrick made an excellent first impression — especially since he was up against Guardiola, an all-conquering manager considered one of the best of all time. “The better team won. There’s nothing more to say,” Guardiola said. “When a team is better you have to accept it.”

Carrick followed that up with a thrilling 3-2 away win over league leader Arsenal. It was United’s first Premier League victory at the Emirates since 2017 and helped the Mancunian club climb to fourth on the table. Like Guardiola, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, too, was impressed with Carrick. “With Michael coming in, it’s bringing new ideas, the intensity rises,” he said.

But while the smiles are back on the faces of United fans, Carrick is focusing on the present. He is refusing to engage with questions about his future in the hot seat.

“I’m enjoying it. It’s a fantastic position to be in,” Carrick said. “What happens next? I’m not going to be answering it every week. From our perspective, it’s just ⁠about moving forward to the next game. It’s just about keeping good habits and good routines. The boys have been fantastic with that. But we can’t look too ⁠far ahead. We’ll finish where we finish by getting the results.”

Carrick is only contracted for the remainder of 2025-26 while United weighs up its long-term plans. But he could put himself into contention for a longer deal if he carries on like this.

Both his tactics and man-management have caught the eye. One of English football’s best and possibly most underappreciated midfielders in recent years, Carrick was known for his calmness, quiet authority and vision. He appears to be channelling those qualities in reformatting United, building on a simple, clear blueprint, with some bold choices thrown in.

Introducing balance

Carrick has ditched Amorim’s preferred three-man defence in a switch that has allowed United to play with more balance in a nominal 4-2-3-1.

He has platformed United’s best creative passer, Bruno Fernandes, in the No. 10 role, with a double pivot behind him, which includes Kobbie Mainoo. The 20-year-old Mainoo shot to prominence in 2023-24, but struggled for game time during Amorim’s ill-fated 14-month spell. The Portuguese coach defied calls to play Mainoo alongside club captain Fernandes, but Carrick has the young midfielder operating with freedom and technical security.

The 44-year-old’s decision to deploy defender Patrick Dorgu in a more advanced attacking role on the left has also paid off with goals against City and Arsenal. Matheus Cunha might not have started because of Dorgu’s repositioning, but has made an impact off the bench. Bryan Mbeumo, known for his penetrative movement as a wide forward, has been utilised as a roaming central striker, a move that has caused backlines all sorts of problems.

Most significantly, the players have responded to the changes. Cunha, instead of sulking at being relegated to a substitute’s role, was quick to point out the difference between Amorim’s gloomy reign and Carrick’s upbeat presence. “He knows the feeling, he played here so many years. He knows the feeling for Manchester, he knows the feeling for United. He knows how the fans want to feel,” Cunha said. “He tried to show us every single moment, he tried to talk to us to understand moments and say, ‘everyone is against us’, so I think we feel more together.”

Centre-back Harry Maguire added to the chorus of praise. “He’s brought a fresh energy and the group has really galvanised,” said Maguire. “Two tough games and everyone probably thinks we are going to come away with not many points. But to win both is magnificent.”

Carrick commended the players for buying into his vision so quickly. “The boys have been fantastic in terms of taking things on, wanting to do it and investing into it,” he said. “I give a lot of credit to the staff and the players. It is a really collective feeling. We said when we came in that we make every decision for the greater good of the football club. My job is to keep improving the team and not getting carried away with two massive results.”

The mood around Old Trafford has transformed, but the larger question remains. Have co-owner Jim Ratcliffe and his army of advisers in the United hierarchy stumbled across a long-term solution or is the sudden up-tick in form just a consequence of the ‘the new manager bounce’? United dealt with a similar situation in the recent past. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s brilliant start to his interim role as manager in 2019 earned him a three-year deal, which didn’t quite work out.

Tricky decision

Former United captains Roy Keane and Gary Neville believe the club should go for a bigger, more experienced manager than Carrick, whose only previous full-time job was a three-year stint with Championship side Middlesbrough. Under Carrick, Middlesbrough played some attractive football, but made the playoffs just once and never earned promotion. Clearly, Ratcliffe and Co. have a tough decision to make if United continues its upswing.

Carrick’s eyes, though, are already on his next assignment: Sunday’s home fixture against seventh-placed Fulham, which United will start as favourite after the wins over City and Arsenal. “We’ve got to ride it and use the emotion, use the energy and use the confidence,” he said. “You’ve got to be humble enough ⁠to understand how we could achieve these two big results. It doesn’t come easy, so we need to bottle it and use it again.”

Published – January 30, 2026 11:37 pm IST