The appointment of Michael Carrick as the new Manchester United interim manager appears all but sealed and should be announced in the very near future. He will arrive as a replacement for Ruben Amorim, who was sacked on the first week on 2026.
Carrick most recently spent three years as Middlesbrough manager between 2022 and 2025 but has experience of the Old Trafford dugout under his belt already, having overseen three games as caretaker in 2021. In those three games, he averaged 2.33 points per game, the best rate of any post-Sir Alex Ferguson coach (although he is helped by the admittedly small sample size).
Following a 3-2 victory against Arsenal in December 2021, the Englishman opted to step away from his temporary role as Ralf Rangnick was named as official interim manager for the rest of the season. Despite only briefly crossing paths, it seems as though Carrick made a good impression on the German.
Rangnick Didn't Want Carrick to Leave
rangnick man utd
Rangnick's time at Manchester United did not end well. However, he did show plenty of wisdom, with a number of comments later ringing true. Famously, he claimed that the club needed 'open heart surgery', while also urging the purchase of several players who have since gone on to be superstars elsewhere (such as Erling Haaland, Enzo Fernandez and Luis Diaz).
It's interesting to learn that he was also rather keen to keep Carrick on as part of his backroom staff, but the Englishman felt it was time for a break. Rangnick explained his disappointment at the time:
“Michael, I got to know this [decision] two days ago. I met with Michael and Kieran [McKenna] but especially with Michael two days ago.
“I had a long private conversation with him for more than an hour and I was trying to convince him to stay on board, but he had obviously taken that decision weeks ago that he needed a break and a rest after 30 years of professional football.
“In the end, I had to accept that, and in a way, I can also understand his decision.”
Judging from the comments, Rangnick must have been impressed by Carrick, clearly hoping to make the most of his coaching talent and inner-knowledge of the club. Had the former midfielder hung around, perhaps the German's time at Old Trafford would have yielded more success.
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Michael Carrick is assembling his coaching staff at Man Utd.
Carrick Must Lift Confidence of 'Fragile' Man Utd Squad
Michael Carrick
While Carrick evidently was ready for a different type of challenge back in 2021, he's now set to return to the club, having spent 12 years there as a player between 2006 and 2018, winning five Premier League titles and one Champions League, among many other trophies.
Of course, this Man United is a far cry from the one he played for when Ferguson was calling the shots. One of the first jobs Carrick will have will be to lift the spirits of the players who just got knocked out of the FA Cup, meaning the Premier League is the only competition they are still competing in.
After the defeat, current caretaker Darren Fletcher admitted that the squad are feeling rather 'fragile', and it's no surprise as the club will play just 40 games across the entire season due to their failures in the cup competitions.
It remains unclear how Carrick will get on, but it's perhaps a positive that Rangnick wanted his insight back in 2021. He has since enhanced his coaching experience, overseeing 136 games at Middlesbrough.