As a footballer, Michael Carrick had the ability to blend into the background, his unassuming nature giving him a lower profile than his ability merited. He may have taken that capacity for relative anonymity into his coaching career. If Carrick was the stealth candidate to take the reins at Manchester United for the rest of the season, with Darren Fletcher thrust into the spotlight immediately and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the romantic, nostalgic choice, a selection process may have been the triumph of the quiet man.
Carrick nevertheless interviewed well when he spoke to director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada last Thursday. It may not have harmed his cause that he can appear the anti-Amorim: less charismatic, less quotable, less explosive. Carrick brought a calmness in possession of the ball. That unflustered nature may serve him well for the pressurised task of leading United.
It is nevertheless a startling shift in fortune for a man sacked by Middlesbrough last summer. When Boro dismissed Neil Warnock and Chris Wilder, it was presumably on the assumption that the next destination for each would not be Old Trafford (though Jonathan Woodgate, another fired Boro boss and later one of Carrick’s backroom staff at the Riverside, will follow him to Old Trafford). But if Carrick’s ability to read the game may, as a player, have equipped him for elite football, United may hope that his cerebral nature serves him well in the dugout too.
There may be scepticism on Teesside. Carrick was an immediate success at Middlesbrough, taking them from 21st in the Championship to the play-offs. Yet his two full seasons in charge ended in eighth and 10th with a hint of underachievement: fans complained the football became too predictable and structured, and that he did not make influential in-game changes. But his was a constant rebuilding job, with Boro selling players of the calibre of Chuba Akpom, Morgan Rogers and Emmanuel Latte Lath as Carrick made the club money; but there were still the resources to do better.
That element, at least, offers a common denominator with United. But Carrick’s caretaker reign after Solskjaer’s sacking in 2021 should provide encouragement. He had a galvanising impact on a side who had been shambolic; wins over Villarreal and Arsenal sandwiched a draw at Chelsea. Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals in those matches, but the most pertinent part may have been that Carrick put his old teammate on the bench at Stamford Bridge. The nice guy showed a toughness.
He can be his own man. United hoped he would stay on under Ralf Rangnick, who was put in charge for the rest of the season. He opted to go. But he was held in high esteem by the old regime at Old Trafford and now, seemingly, by the new.
His coaching staff is a blend of old and new as well. Fletcher, his former sidekick in midfield, has opted to return to the Under-18s. Woodgate and Jonny Evans give him a centre-back partnership in the technical area, with the latter extending his latest return to Old Trafford. The Under-21 head coach, Travis Binnion, highly rated by Fletcher, will be involved. The most intriguing addition is Steve Holland, assistant manager in England’s second most successful spell ever; it is not, United insist, a prelude to bringing in Gareth Southgate.
Holland, whose arrival was suggested by the club, has a reputation as an excellent coach. He could be seen as the successor to Kieran McKenna, who did much of the training-ground work when Solskjaer was in charge. It is also a sign this is not quite the old boys’ reunion that seemed likely when United compiled a shortlist of four of their old players turned interim managers.
As United alumni queued up to say that what the club really need now is Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney, showing a spectacular lack of self-awareness, said it would be a “no-brainer” for him to join the coaching staff if asked. Haven’t United suffered enough?
But choosing Carrick ahead of Solskjaer renders this less of a nostalgia trip; the midfielder actually made more appearances for United – 464 – than the scorer of the winner in the 1999 Champions League final. But there will probably be fewer references to the past.
There will be a back four, if Carrick’s time in charge of Middlesbrough is a guide. And while his reign starts with the demanding double bill of a Manchester derby and a trip to league leaders Arsenal, United can hope a measured man can nonetheless rouse them.
His past suggests it is possible. Besides his influence as their caretaker in 2021, he made an immediate impact at Middlesbrough. United have 17 games to go and Carrick won 12 of his first 17 with Boro. Do something similar and United, who have only won 12 of their last 37 matches, would face a repeat of the Solskjaer scenario, with overwhelming pressure to give Carrick the post on a permanent basis.
As it is, Carrick, brought to Old Trafford by Sir Alex Ferguson, made first captain and then coach by Jose Mourinho, put in charge by Ed Woodward and now Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is the man United keep asking to bring composure and fine decision-making.
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