Michael Carrick: Should Man United stick or twist next season? | OneFootball

Manchester United have been transformed by the arrival of Michael Carrick in the wake of INEOS’s explosive decision to bring an end to Ruben Amorim’s tumultuous tenure last month.

Five wins and one draw from the opening six games, during which table-topping Arsenal and Manchester City were defeated, have lifted the Red Devils from Champions League hopefuls to the club with the most secure grip on a return to Europe’s elite competition next season.

The dark cloud which engulfed Old Trafford over Christmas has been lifted; the players look and sound happier, which is reflected by brighter performances on the pitch. The club’s plan for the summer window is now much easier to navigate, with Amorim’s defunct 3-4-2-1 system having followed him through the exit door.

Less is more

The major change Carrick has implemented since taking the reins has been to line his new side up in a more familiar 4-2-3-1 shape – one more in line with United’s attacking traditions.

The choice to reintegrate Kobbie Mainoo after the 20-year-old starlet was frozen out by Amorim was an obvious one. Pairing him alongside Casemiro in a double pivot in midfield, while redeploying Bruno Fernandes – the best No.10 in the Premier League – as a…drum roll please…No.10, was an even simpler decision.

Yet, for 14 months of Amorim’s reign of illogical terror, the three best midfielders at the club did not play in a midfield three, as the former Sporting Clube de Portugal manager obstinately sought to implement the system which had brought him such success in the Portuguese capital, despite overwhelming evidence it would not work in England.

Ruben Amorim managerial stats at Man United

Carrick has also reintroduced flying wingers to provide width and attacking thrust in the opposition half; a position Amorim preferred to be filled by wing-backs. The role is incredibly complicated, however, as it requires the player tasked with playing out wide in the 3-4-2-1 to simultaneously be a defender and attacker – both a hybrid and a specialist all at once.

It’s little wonder Patrick Dorgu has been reborn as a left-winger under Carrick’s tutelage after looking lost in Amorim’s convoluted approach, despite the areas of the pitch the Dane is operating in being virtually identical in both.

Similarly, Diogo Dalot‘s form has rocketed up since his compatriot’s departure. The 26-year-old is a right-back by trade, but had been forced to play as a wing-back, on both sides of the pitch, by Amorim. His performances suffered as a result, leading to him becoming something of a scapegoat by the fanbase. But in a twist only the sanest of minds could predict, the right-back has looked outstanding in Carrick’s first six games as a…right-back.

There has been a simplicity to the improvements the 44-year-old English coach, whose only previous managerial experience was at Middlesbrough, has made, which exposes how needlessly complicated his predecessor’s ‘philosophy’ was.

However, the idea that elite football is ‘simple’ is illogical; rather, it takes an astute tactical mind to implement changes which appear simple on paper, but actually have tangible effects on the pitch.

Put simply, Carrick’s tenure as caretaker has been as impressive as it has been brief. If he is no longer the United coach next season, he will undoubtedly return to Old Trafford as the manager of another Premier League side, with a host of clubs already identifying him as a possible target.

Long-Term Successor

The appointment of Carrick until the end of the campaign was designed to afford INEOS time to conduct a thorough review of the best candidate to be Amorim’s long-term successor. The plan is to wait until the summer before this new coach takes the helm, as contracts will expire once the season – and the World Cup – come to an end.

A host of names have been linked with the United hot seat, with Thomas Tuchel the frontrunner. The England manager was previously interviewed for the job in the summer of 2024 before United’s hierarchy decided to stick with Erik ten Hag, only to sack the 56-year-old less than five months later.

Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi, formerly of Brighton & Hove Albion and, only recently, Olympique Marseille, also held talks with INEOS before this pivot to keeping the sinking Dutchman.

Other targets are a mix of national team managers – Carlo Ancelotti, currently in charge of Brazil, USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, and Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann – or options in the Premier League, such as Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth), Marco Silva (Fulham) and Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace). Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique was another wildcard option, given the Spanish tactician is considered one of the best managers in the world and there were rumours of contract discontent at the Parc des Princes.

However, slowly but surely, this extensive list is being whittled down one by one, as each candidate rules himself out of the job, either by choice or by action.

Tuchel and Ancelotti have both extended their contracts with their respective countries, while Iraola looks set to do the same with Bournemouth, as does Enrique in the French capital. On the flip side, De Zerbi and Glasner’s explosive fall-outs with their clubs have offered an uncomfortable parallel with Amorim’s exit, leading them to drop down the rankings.

Of the choices that are left, Nagelsmann is the most exciting as a ‘hipster’ choice. But the 38-year-old has never managed outside of Germany, and INEOS have been twice burnt by coaches with zero experience in England.

If the decision this summer boils down to appointing a manager like Silva because he is ‘Premier League proven’ or simply sticking with Carrick the Caretaker, is it really a choice? Why would you twist on such a safe pair of hands?

The former midfielder is quietly positioning himself as the best candidate on United’s list this summer, if only because the other names on there have the chance to light pitchforks amongst the fanbase.

However, this would only be the right move if the arrangement at present is simply extended, rather than changed. INEOS were right with their initial logic, and they should not deviate from it.

Conclusion – Carrick the Caretaker should continue

United’s best move this summer may simply be to extend Carrick’s interim role for another season. This would then allow the usual oscillations of football to unfold over the next 12 months, potentially freeing up a candidate who is worth pursuing.

An appointment of a coach with the pedigree of Tuchel or Ancelotti would have been excellent. But in the absence of those types of options, Carrick the Caretaker should live to manage another day.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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