Rio Ferdinand believes Michael Carrick deserves shot at permanent manager role | OneFootball

Manchester United have enjoyed a dream start to life under interim head coach Michael Carrick. While Ruben Amorim’s dismissal left Manchester United in an uncertain predicament, Carrick has not only provided the team with a sense of stability but also ensured that his players deliver thrilling performances on the pitch that many fans have grown unaccustomed to.

Carrick left his mark with a decisive 2-0 victory over Manchester City on his debut, before making a difficult journey to north-west London to face Arsenal. Even when coming up against the Premier League leaders, Carrick and his players showed no fear, exhibiting great perseverance to secure a exhilarating 3-2 triumph.

Talk of Carrick staying on as United’s permanent manager has already surfaced, although not everybody appears to be convinced that he is right for the job.

The doubter

One United alumnus who does not seem convinced that Carrick is the right man for the job is former club captain Roy Keane. Following the win over Arsenal, Keane warned that talk of Carrick staying on is premature.

“You’re being silly now. Two great performances, but anyone can win two games,” Keane commented. “Even if they do get into fourth, I still wouldn’t be convinced he’s the man for the job. Absolutely not,” he continued in what seemed to be a harsh critique of Carrick.

Still, not every United legend agreed with his view.

Rio’s view

If there is one United alumnus who seems to remain firmly in Carrick’s corner, it’s Rio Ferdinand.

“Two weeks ago, Man United was a sorry state of affairs,” Ferdinand observed on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, after the Arsenal game. “We were the butt of everyone’s jokes. It was a debacle.”

“Michael Carrick’s come in and turned the collars up on his long trench coat, right? And said, ‘Listen, guys. Get behind me, I’m gonna put you in a structure that’s gonna actually suit the players that we have, we’re gonna be hard to play against, we’re gonna work hard, and we’re gonna be a threat.”

Following this assessment, Ferdinand directly addressed the question of whether Carrick could stay on as a permanent coach once his interim tenure is up.

“People are telling me that no matter what Michael Carrick does, he shouldn’t get an opportunity to manage Man United!” Ferdinand explained, before shouting, “Where the f*** do these people come from?”

“The disrespect is unbelievable!” he continued.

“For someone to say, no matter what a person does, he doesn’t deserve to be given the keys to Manchester United, on what grounds are you saying that? That’s mad talk!” he concluded, also making mention of the improved performances of players such as Kobbie Mainoo under Carrick.

While it’s still a long way to go until the end of the season, Carrick has done superbly to not just secure six points from two of United’s toughest fixtures in the Premier League but instil hope in a fanbase that has long been deflated. No matter whether the results keep going United’s way, Carrick has proven exactly what is possible if the club adopts the right attitude and tactics on the pitch.

Following United’s massive win against Arsenal, here are the club’s biggest ever wins.

Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images

online polls

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social