Jamie Carragher changes his mind about who Manchester United should hire as manager | OneFootball

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has spoken out on the Manchester United manager’s job as he now believes Michael Carrick should be given the role permanently.

The Red Devils sacked Ruben Amorim back in January and soon afterwards appointed Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season.

Despite not being the biggest name or most experienced option, Carrick has done a superb job of steadying the ship, winning nine of his 13 games in charge to take the team to the brink of Champions League qualification.

Writing in his column in the Telegraph, Carragher made it clear that he’s now backing Carrick as the best choice to be permanent Man Utd manager, despite having previously argued for Aston Villa boss Unai Emery.

Jamie Carragher urges Manchester United to hire Michael Carrick

After so much chaos in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, Carragher feels Carrick has done a great job of bringing more calm and stability to United since coming in.

It could be a gamble, but Carragher also feels it’s worth going for Carrick due to the lack of other top quality candidates out there at the moment.

“Carrick is the ideal choice to assume full control this summer because of what the club needs right here, right now. It makes sense in the short term with an eye on the long term,” Carragher wrote.

“Over the past four months, Carrick has bought himself and the United board a valuable commodity that is generally elusive in football: time. He has restored a sense of normality – an underestimated quality at any club, let alone one of the biggest.”

He added: “Arguments can rage about whether Carrick deserved the chance to be given the job temporarily, or even whether he deserves it full-time based on his previous work, but he has created an environment where players enjoy their training – and match days – and have a good relationship with the manager and his staff.

“Why would you rush to change it just because the person currently in charge is not a big-name manager? Especially given the current state of the managerial market.

“Ever since Ruben Amorim’s sacking, there has been a predictable urge to list every prominent coach deemed attractive enough to take over. The problem is we are in an era where there are fewer box-office managers.

“Of those being referenced the most, such as Paris St-Germain’s Luis Enrique, they are otherwise engaged trying to win the Champions League or, in the case of Julian Nagelsmann and Carlo Ancelotti, preoccupied with the World Cup.

Andoni Iraola could rival Michael Carrick for the United job

As per our understanding, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is alongside Carrick as a top candidate for the United job next season.

The Spanish tactician will be leaving his position at Bournemouth at the end of this season, having impressed hugely during his time there to also attract interest from Chelsea.

Still, MUFC are yet to make a final decision on whether or not they’ll keep Carrick beyond this campaign, with the club likely to assess options once the season is over.

Iraola undoubtedly looks like he’s set for a big job sooner or later, but Carrick has already got that experience of dealing with the immense pressure at Old Trafford, both as a player and in his role as interim manager.