There are fewer than two weeks of the season remaining for Man Utd and it makes sense to get one big issue out of the way sooner rather than later.
Michael Carrick looks a formality to be appointed as Manchester United head coach
Michael Carrick laughed off the idea that he would be unnerved by the idea of Manchester United considering other candidates for ‘his’ job last week. He did a very good job of looking like someone who really wasn’t bothered, and maybe he isn’t.
Carrick might well be relaxed about United continuing their ‘thorough process’ to appoint a new head coach. Or maybe he now has the confidence of someone who has absolutely nailed the audition and knows the gig will be his soon enough.
That is the position we’re in with Carrick now. It would count as a seismic surprise if United opted to pivot at this stage. The 44-year-old has ticked every box, from results on the pitch, to improving players at Carington and bringing stability and a sense of calm to the club.
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There really does seem little point in shifting strategy now. United have considered other bosses, but all the ‘elite’ managers have essentially ruled themselves out. Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner aren’t without their admirers, and both deserve bigger jobs than Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, but why would United risk asking them to step up when Carrick has shown he can handle the job?
It has been noted inside Old Trafford how well he has fitted the role over the past four months. He has never let the pressure get to him, never let a defeat consume him. He has kept the mood positive, a major change from the emotional, unstable eras of Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.
United don’t know if Iraola or Glasner could do that. They know Carrick can, and they know he can get results as well, with just two defeats in his 15 games in charge, a brilliant record that looks set to deliver a third-place finish.
It feels like Carrick’s coronation is a formality, and it’s a matter of when, rather than if, he is given the job. If that is the case, then the answer to that question should be delivered swiftly as well.
The view inside Old Trafford remains that a decision is most likely to be made once the season has finished, but it doesn’t feel impossible that changes. For starters, why delay it if it’s a decision you are set on making?
Carrick has done enough to get the job. He has helped to rescue United’s season and has delivered what was asked of him. Now is the time to give him his moment.
There is little sense in dragging this out into the summer. After the final game of the season at Brighton a week on Sunday, the squad will go their separate ways, as will the coaching staff. There will be holidays for many, then a World Cup for plenty. The focus on United and club duties will at least soften.
Instead, United should seize the moment and confirm Carrick’s appointment before the trip to the Amex Stadium on May 24. Give him the confidence he has earned, rather than making him wait past the end of the season and letting the noise around the role grow.
That will also allow Carrick the chance to address the players as a permanent head coach, laying out his ideas ahead of pre-season and into next term. He can set the agenda now, before this season ends, rather than a period of uncertainty taking hold.
It will also give the players that stability, rather than heading off to international squads without knowing who will be in charge at Old Trafford next season.
United had grand intentions of carrying out a thorough process. They have done their due diligence on other candidates. But the answer is staring them in the face and has been for a while. It should be made official before the end of the season.
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