Michael Carrick: Alan Shearer delivers bold verdict on United coach | OneFootball

Manchester United are preparing to host Brentford at Old Trafford on Monday, 27 April, in the Premier League. A win will further solidify the Red Devils’ quest to bring the Champions League back to the Theatre of Dreams next season.

The Premier League giants are yet to feature in the new format of the European club tournament, with their last appearance coming in the 2023/24 campaign, before the recent reforms. Erik ten Hag was the manager then, but he lost the job in October 2024, with United appointing former Sporting manager Ruben Amorim as the Dutchman’s replacement.

The Portuguese head coach, however, endured a disappointing 14-month reign at Old Trafford. Despite finishing 15th in the Premier League as well as losing the Europa League final last season, Amorim kept his job, only to be removed from his position this January.

INEOS moved to appoint Michael Carrick as the caretaker manager until the end of the campaign, with a permanent appointment expected this summer. However, the Englishman is now one of the favourites for the job after a superb three months in charge.

A strong contender for the permanent position

When Carrick walked in through the doors at Carrington in January to steady the ship, United were struggling for identity and form. The Englishman abandoned the 3-4-3 system and implemented a 4-2-3-1 formation that the squad was better suited to.

The Red Devils roared back into form, winning four games on the trot, including impressive wins against Manchester City at home and against Arsenal away at the Emirates. Carrick has since registered eight wins and two draws in his 12 games in charge so far, taking the team to third in the Premier League after 33 games.

Michael Carrick: Managerial Career Stats

Source: Wikipedia.

While calls to make his stay permanent have been gathering pace for a while, recent defeats against Newcastle United and Leeds United did raise quite a few questions. However, Carrick masterminded a hard-fought 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend, further consolidating his candidature for the full-time job.

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer believes that his countryman could be the right man for the Old Trafford job, but on one condition.

Shearer wants Carrick on short-term deal

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer criticised United for their lack of patience in recent times. He said: “I just think it’s been such a bad look for Man United when they’ve had to shell out so much on terms of directors of football paying for them, sacking them, paying for managers them, sacking them, giving them huge amounts to spend and then sacking staff who have been there for years. I think that’s such a poor look.”

INEOS have already sacked Ten Hag and Amorim so far since assuming charge and also removed former sporting director Dan Ashworth from his position within five months of appointing him in the summer of 2024. The Red Devils are still looking for a suitable replacement for the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, more than a decade since his retirement.

Shearer went on to state that United should hand Carrick a short-term deal if they secure Champions League football, adding: “Under Michael (they) have definitely improved and it looks as if they’re going to qualify for Champions League.”

“I guess if they do, I’d be for giving him the job. Not on a long term basis and they’ll make mistakes as they’ve done last time, but maybe even give him a one year deal with different incentives in it if he hits different targets.”

Final Thoughts

Carrick’s knowledge of the club and his previous experience of working at Old Trafford under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also make him a strong candidate for the job. With experienced candidates like Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique unlikely to be available this summer, the Englishman’s only competition could be Julien Nagelsmann, Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner.

Feature image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images

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