Michael Carrick might be able to work his magic in a way that Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim could not around one Manchester United ‘enigma’ at Old Trafford.
The 44-year-old Manchester United legend will kick off his interim head coach run on Saturday afternoon, with the Red Devils hosting Manchester City at Old Trafford.
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Michael Carrick has been tasked with seeing out the remainder of the Red Devils’ 2025-26 campaign and pushing for a top-four Premier League finish with United.
The former Red Devils and England midfielder returned to the Premier League club on Tuesday evening, with Carrick now taking his seat in the Old Trafford hot seat.
Carrick’s arrival marks the end of Darren Fletcher’s caretaker managerial spell, following the sacking of Ruben Amorim as Man Utd manager last Monday.
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Manchester United interim head coach Michael Carrick records a podcast at the Carrington training complex in 2026 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim’s ‘difficulties’ with Manuel Ugarte open the door for Man Utd legend Michael Carrick to step up
Neither Erik ten Hag nor Ruben Amorim could effectively tap into the qualities of Manuel Ugarte during their respective Manchester United managerial reigns.
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Manuel Ugarte was brought to Old Trafford from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024 and the tail end of Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd spell showed the Dutchman’s stance on him.
Ten Hag was clearly a big fan of Scott McTominay and did not want to sell the Napoli and Scotland midfielder before United signed Ugarte from PSG.
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Scott McTominay left Old Trafford for Napoli in the same window as Ugarte to offset the transfer thanks to the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Ten Hag was sacked as Man Utd manager in the 2024-25 season and Amorim’s arrival from Sporting CP was viewed as a potential turning point for Ugarte.
Ugarte had played under Amorim at Sporting CP, but he was also offloaded from the Primeira Liga outfit to PSG while the former Man Utd head coach was in charge.
READ MORE: Jamie Redknapp’s instant Michael Carrick prediction is made after his first-hand experience with Man Utd legend
Manuel Ugarte could be afforded one fresh final start under Michael Carrick after the setbacks under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim
Amorim, much like United predecessor Ten Hag, failed to work out the best way to utilise Manuel Ugarte in the Red Devils midfield before he was sacked from his role.
Ugarte’s long-term future at Old Trafford has been in doubt this season, with both Ajax and Galatasaray linked with the 24-year-old Uruguayan defensive midfielder.
But the appointment of Carrick for the remainder of the campaign could be one final ‘audition period’ for Ugarte to prove himself to the next United manager.
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Ugarte had no place in the two-man midfield pivot of Amorim’s tactical system at Man Utd, but things could be different under Carrick for stylistically tactical reasons.
Carrick has deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation during his time at Middlesbrough, which mirrors the set-up that Ten Hag used for the Red Devils during his reign.
However, the former Middlesbrough head coach might be more open-minded than Ten Hag with the strength of Ugarte’s bulldog-like approach in the midfield set-up.
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