Phil Jones tells Sir Jim Ratcliffe which manager to appoint for Man Utd | OneFootball

Phil Jones believes that Manchester United should appoint Michael Carrick as their permanent manager.

Carrick was handed the Man Utd managerial role on an interim basis in January 2026 following the departure of Ruben Amorim.

The 44-year-old, who was in a similar caretaker’s role at Old Trafford in 2021, has done an exceptional job.

Man Utd are third in the Premier League table at the moment and are only two points away from securing their place in the Champions League next season.

Jones played both with Carrick and under him at Man Utd, and the former England international central defender believes that INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe should make him the manager on a permanent basis.

Carrick told ESPN FC: “Look, I have said all along. If he does well, I don’t see a reason why they can’t give it to him.

“He has got a good team behind him with Steve Holland, who I know well from an England set-up.

“On the grass, he was really good, good messages, different voice around the lads.

“Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans, he has got a really good squad behind him and the people can help him.

“And he has done really well, he has got results. And we are all judged on results.

“And I think it’s only right and it’s fit that he gets the job at the end of the season.

“I think the test will probably then come in the summer, recruitment-wise.

“Casemiro is obviously going. He has to fill that void. That’s going to be a big one to fill to play alongside Kobbie, who we have seen tonight has been exceptional.

“And they have got to build the team around Kobbie.”

Michael Carrick impact at Man Utd

Jones also elaborated on the impact that Carrick has made on the Man Utd team.

The former defender noted: “What Michael Carrick has done in the last few months since he has come in, he has brought a lot of stability back into the club.

“The way they are playing is sort of similar to what Utd fans would probably imagine it was five or six years ago.

“You know, they are creating a lot of chances now.

“When they turn the ball over, the first pass is always forward.

“They look like they are going to score every single time, and when you have got players like Bruno Fernandes in your team, who can produce something out of nothing in the blink of an eye, it’s huge.”