Michael Carrick to convince world-beater to join Man Utd in jaw-dropping summer coup | OneFootball

Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha believes that his old club will be able to attract ‘big names’ like Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, if they continue on their current path under Michael Carrick.

The former Old Trafford midfielder has enjoyed a spectacular start to life as interim boss, engineering four wins from four to put his name firmly in the mix for the permanent position.

The 44-year-old will be looking to extend that run to five victories when Man Utd face West Ham on Tuesday evening, although Carrick himself has kept his cards close to his chest whenever he is asked about taking the role full-time.

The likes of Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti, Oliver Glasner and Luis Enrique are among a plethora of names linked with the job, with all capable of attracting elite names to Old Trafford this summer.

Saha, however, has backed Carrick to steer the club back into the Champions League and be able to bring in elite names off the back of it.

The former France striker told AceOdds: “Nothing is too big when Manchester United are playing the way they are playing. They can attract any big name.

“Vinicius is obviously a Ballon d’Or contender, definitely someone looking to shine, to be in a Champions League spot. I know that because he wants to win individual trophies.”

While United splashed out close to £200m to bring in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko over the summer, Saha also sees unsettled Real Madrid star Vinicius joining them in Manchester next season.

“Who knows? That could be a very attractive combination – the team that we see week-in, week-out with Carrick, playing very attractive football,” he added.

“It may provide a new platform for a player like Vinicius Junior.”

Elements of Ferguson as Carrick backed for Man Utd job

Saha, meanwhile, added that he can see United legend Sir Alex Ferguson’s fingerprints all over the impressive work Carrick is currently doing at United again, and has backed him for the full-time position.

The Frenchman added: “He’s [Carrick] brought the beauty of our memories and past Manchester United teams that we love like the combative part of the game, resilience, confidence and the technical part of the game too,’ the Frenchman went on.

“It’s very very good to see the smile on the face of the players because it means they’re playing with a freedom and not with much thought and the right tactical ideas in the first four games.’

Asked whether Carrick should have his temporary role turned into a permanent one at Old Trafford, Saha added: “I would love to see Michael given the chance. He’s done very well. He’s a very hardworking guy but humble as well.

“The results are going for him at the moment but not only the results, the way the team is playing and performing, we all can see the change straightaway. He’s had the biggest impact since Sir Alex Ferguson.

“He does provide an answer to the question about the next manager. Necessity, I do think they need to think about Carrick very, very, very seriously there.

“We know the expectation is so big and sometimes both have certain types of conversations and they want to see a long term plan. Do they see this is a spell where everything is going well for Carrick? Who knows how he reacts when he’s under more pressure.”

“Maybe he needs to be challenged in that sense to be considered for the full-time role. I don’t know.

“What I see is that he understands the DNA of the club, he’s been under pressure, maybe not as a manager but as a player, he understands how those managers have reacted before as he was part of the coaching staff. So he understands. He’s not a rookie.

“I do think he deserves his position but when names like [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Zinedine] Zidane come into play, it’s a kind of a different ball game.”