West Bromwich Albion should target Michael Carrick as their new manager.placeholder image
West Bromwich Albion should target Michael Carrick as their new manager. | Getty Images
Man United have appointed Michael Carrick as head coach, but could he be at Old Trafford for the long haul?
Manchester United can’t be accused of not trying to get it right in terms of who they have appointed as manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Michael Carrick has been appointed as the new United boss having won the apparent two-horse race with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Both former players were seen as a safe pair of hands by the Old Trafford hierarchy with next summer set to see a host of big name managers out of work and looking for new jobs. There will also be others like many’s favourite Oliver Glasner and Aston Villa’s Unai Emery who might be looking for a new challenge after taking their respective clubs as far as they can.
Michael Carrick given permanent Man United manager job hope
Despite his inexperience managing in the Premier League and of handling big-name players and personalities, Carrick’s chances of being under consideration for the permanent role have been assessed by transfer supremo Fabrizio Romano.
Speaking about Alvaro Arbeloa’s appointment as Real Madrid manager following the mutual parting of ways with Xabi Alonso, the Italian journalist said on his Here We Go podcast: “Look, I would not exclude that. I would not exclude that because at the end of the day, when you have this kind of opportunity, if you are delivering trophies and if your relationship with the players, especially at Real Madrid, where being a manager is not only in the tactical point of view, as we saw with Xabi Alonso, but is also in terms of relationship and feeling with the players, well, if Arbeloa will be able to bring trophies and to connect with the players in the best way possible.
“I think he has an opportunity and a chance to be a Real Madrid manager also in the future. These are the same level of Manchester United. I would compare the two situations now. Obviously, Real Madrid are in a completely different status in terms of process. So Real Madrid are not in a different situation, have not been in a different situation for 13 years as Manchester United have been.
“So it's different. But in terms of current situation, you have an interim manager, at Man United will be Michael Carrick, at Real Madrid will be Alvaro Arbeloa, who is not interim, but still a very important manager in a very dangerous position. They will have a chance, but this will not stop clubs, Man United and Real Madrid, from starting their search for a permanent future manager, because I'm sure this process will start in the upcoming months.”
Will Carrick be considered on a permanent basis?
Carrick now has a 17 game interview for the United job and he won’t get a better opportunity to leapfrog a few steps on the managerial pyramid. After early promise at Middlesbrough, the former Red Devils playmaker fell foul to the usual panic from owners when immediate success isn’t achieved. The Championship is a league of its own where managers need luck and circumstance to fall in their favour.
There was a clear game plan and structure that Carrick believed in and it involved playing football the “right way” if there is such a thing. Darren Fletcher talked about a need to win dirty and finding a way to win from good positions and Carrick’s first job will be to do just this.
Then he can focus on how he wants his team to play. If he manages to get anything remotely similar to his managerial mentor who dominated English football for nearly three decades, then he will have every chance of competing with some heavyweights of the game to land the role.
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