Michael Carrick speaks about his time working under Jose Mourinho at Man United and taking temporary charge in 2021.
Mourinho celebrates his first win as United manager at Wembley
Mourinho celebrates his first win as United manager at Wembley
Manchester United great Michael Carrick believes winning big matches was Jose Mourinho's "biggest asset" at the club.
Mourinho is still United's most successful manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, having guided them to League Cup and Europa League triumphs in 2017 before runners-up finishes in the Premier League and the FA Cup in 2018. The 81 points United amassed in 2017-18 remain their most in a single campaign since the 2012-13 title win.
Carrick emerged as an integral figure a third of the way through Mourinho's first campaign at Old Trafford. After the Europa League group stage defeat to Fenerbahce at the start of November, United lost one of their next 28 matches - a League Cup semi-final second leg reverse at Hull City in which they still progressed to the final.
Mourinho recalled Carrick for United's next game after Fenerbahce, a 3-1 victory away to Swansea City. In December and January, United embarked on a nine-game winning run and Carrick started in six as he was rested for the other three.
Carrick was added to Mourinho's coaching staff after he retired from playing in May 2018 and he spent six months in the dugout before the Portuguese was sacked in December 2018.
United beat Tottenham three times and Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City twice under Mourinho. They were unbeaten in four games against Liverpool until a 3-1 defeat in Mourinho's final match in charge at Anfield while there was a memorable 2-1 victory at Juventus in the Champions League a month earlier.
“He was hungry to win," Carrick said of Mourinho, "which is a pretty obvious thing to say. He was his own man and he knew how to win big games. That was his biggest asset."
Carrick took over as United caretaker manager after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021. Carrick was in charge for three games in 11 days, overseeing wins against Villarreal and Arsenal and a draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Minutes after the 3-2 win against Arsenal at Old Trafford, United confirmed Carrick would leave the club after 15-and-a-half years as a player, coach and manager.
Incoming interim manager Ralf Rangnick was in the directors' box for the Arsenal match and intended on retaining Carrick as part of his backroom staff. Carrick was named the Middlesbrough manager in October 2022 but was sacked earlier this month after they failed to make the Championship Play-offs.
Carrick in the United dugout
Carrick in the United dugout
“It was a big responsibility," Carrick added of his managerial stint at United, "but it didn't really feel like such a big step or a big difference. I was used to being at the club for so long, and you get used to it once you're there and once you've seen it.
"Sometimes it takes you to get there to understand what it feels like. I thought I’d do the job there for a few games, which was difficult when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left. However, being so close to Ole, it felt natural.
"It wasn't anything too much and it felt quite comfortable doing the job."