Michael Carrick is expected to be offered the chance to continue as Manchester United’s head coach after he delivered the single result the club’s executives said they needed — Champions League qualification.
United’s 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday secured a top-five finish and, with it, the club’s ticket back to Europe’s top club competition. Carrick’s record since taking charge in January reads 10 victories and two draws from 14 league matches, a run that lifted United from sixth and 31 points from 20 matches under Ruben Amorim to the higher reaches of the table, according to an report.
The scale of the turnaround is clear in those numbers, but it is the reaction inside the club that counts now. Executive figures Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada have been impressed with his impact, and senior players privately back him: it is understood Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire want Carrick as the No 1. Forward Matheus Cunha said: "He has the full confidence of the group. And look, I sat on the bench with him and how he teaches everyone is amazing. I think he has the magic with like these [Sir Alex] Ferguson times, these kinds of things. He’s a pleasure, and then of course I think he deserves it." Midfielder Casemiro told that Carrick "has everything" and "completely deserves it [the Manchester United job]" and that "he deserves the club's total trust" and "with more time he has everything to be a great manager of Manchester United." Even Alan Shearer, quoted by the, said Carrick "deserves a chance." Carrick himself said: "I love doing what I’m doing. It’s a great position for me to be in and it feels pretty natural if I’m totally honest" and added, "I’m not being blase because it’s a difficult role, but it feels like I’ve been here a long time, in different times on and off, but I can understand what it brings."
United did not hold talks about making Carrick permanent while the campaign was still at risk; executives wanted to see whether he could deliver Champions League football before starting negotiations. That pause was deliberate: Carrick replaced Amorim in January as caretaker for a second time, and the club’s hierarchy made clear they would assess results first. The report framed the sequence — club sixth with 31 points from 20 matches when Amorim was sacked, Carrick’s run of 10 wins and two draws from 14 matches, and a return to the Champions League positions.
There is a clear tension between the applause he has earned and the formal steps the club must still take. Carrick has yet to hold talks about a permanent contract because the executives insisted on seeing whether he could lead United into Europe’s top competition. That cautious approach now collides with the internal momentum behind him: players, influential team members and some executives want continuity while the board has yet to make any public commitment.
The immediate next step is administrative but decisive — after the Liverpool win, United were expected to offer Carrick the chance to continue as head coach. If the club follows through, it will resolve the awkward double act of an interim manager who has already produced the results the club demanded. If they delay, the impression of bureaucratic hesitation could fray the unity Carrick has rebuilt.
Given the facts on the field and the endorsements from within the dressing room, the sensible conclusion is that Manchester United should make the appointment. Players are behind him, key executives have been impressed, and the results — 10 victories and two draws from 14 league matches culminating in a 3-2 win over Liverpool and Champions League qualification — provide the proof the club sought before opening talks. For a club that has spent the season searching for stability, promoting Carrick now offers the clearest path to preserving the momentum he created.
Meanwhile, the club’s handling of youth and squad roles will matter in any longer-term decision — Carrick’s support for youngsters, including Amad Diallo, has already been noted on the training pitch and in selection decisions, as detailed in a recent piece about Amad Diallo backed by Michael Carrick as United push him into attack (
