Manchester United have turned to Michael Carrick in their quest for Champions League qualification as the former midfielder returns to the club as head coach for the remainder of the season.
On Tuesday, Michael Carrick was appointed Manchester United head coach, just over a week on from Ruben Amorim’s dismissal.
Carrick takes over until the end of the season, with United sitting seventh in the Premier League but just three points adrift of Liverpool in fourth.
It will be a big ask to qualify for the Champions League, as that will require a lot more consistency than what United have shown over the past two seasons.
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Carrick was sacked by Middlesbrough in the summer after two and a half seasons, narrowly missing out on the play-offs after reaching the semi-finals in his first season.
There’s still a lot of football to play, starting on Saturday when Carrick leads United into the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Even though United have had a far from ideal season so far, in terms of results and sacking a head coach mid-season, Champions League football is still within reach.
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Carrick, who won 12 major trophies during his 12 years at Old Trafford, faces lots of pressure ahead of the derby because United need points as they chase a return to Europe’s most prestigious tournament for the first time in three seasons.
In his first interview after returning to United as head coach, Carrick spoke about raising the standards being one of his biggest responsibilities.
According to The Athletic, the main objective for Carrick and his coaches is to deliver qualification to the Champions League.
This is deemed ‘crucial’ by the club’s executives, including football director Jason Wilcox, who played a key role in choosing Carrick for the temporary head coach role ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
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Darren Fletcher echoed Champions League objective for Man Utd
After stepping in for two matches as a caretaker head coach, Darren Fletcher returns to manage the U18s.
In his final press conference after United’s 2-1 defeat against Brighton, Fletcher said: “I think these players have the ability to qualify for the Champions League.”
Fletcher also called on the squad to “group together, take responsibility, find a way of improving quickly and take on the challenge for the rest of the season.”
The former Scotland international knew he was just standing in for two games, but he will be wishing former teammate Carrick the best for the rest of the season.
As things stand, Brighton are in fifth, a potential Champions League spot, with one more point than United.
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