Manchester United interim head coach Michael Carrick has got off to a good start but illustrious names are being linked with the permanent position
Manchester United's main football decision makers Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox
Manchester United's main football decision makers Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
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If Michael Carrick is attempting to curry favour with Ineos ahead of the permanent managerial appointment in the summer, he went a good way about it on Saturday. Manchester United looked like a completely different team as they put Manchester City to the sword. They played their game instead of City's and were rewarded for it.
The reaction to Carrick's impact on this United team has been overwhelmingly positive but tinged with caution. While Ineos may not have been in charge of football operations at the time, they are fully aware of the dangers of appointing an interim to the full-time position.
One brilliant result will not define whether Carrick is a realistic permanent appointment so, until a final decision is made, the search will continue for Ruben Amorim's long-term replacement. This week, Jamie Carragher weighed into the debate on who the permanent United head coach should be and named one of the more popular options on the market.
Thomas Tuchel is currently preparing England for the World Cup but his task with the national team is seen by most as a short-term project. Tuchel's contract expires at the end of the tournament, then a decision will be made for the future.
Considering his stature in the game, many believe Tuchel will be on the hunt for a domestic position after the World Cup and he could have plenty of suitors if the Three Lions do well. Ineos are believed to think highly of the former Chelsea head coach and it is easy to see why.
"He's [Tuchel] been in the Premier League before," Carragher said on Sky Sports. "He's obviously a top manager. The thing I like about him is I still think he's got that energy and drive and spikiness about him.
"He's gone into the England squad and he's ruffled feathers with some of the biggest players there. Now I'm not saying that has to happen in every job he's in, but there's something about him. He just feels like he would go to war for your club, and he'd be fighting against the other clubs, and he'd have something about him."
But if United are to appoint Tuchel, they already know what they will need to do. In July 2022, the 52-year-old sent a message to the Chelsea board. Less than two months later, he was gone.
Thomas Tuchel pictured shortly before leaving Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel pictured shortly before leaving Chelsea(Image: )
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After facing Arsenal in pre-season, he said: "The last week proves my point. I would absolutely prefer not to be right. I did everything to prove myself wrong but at the moment I feel that I was right.
"I look at the last season and parts of the game where we struggled, parts of the season where we struggled, and then we got sanctioned and players left us and some players are trying to leave us, and this is where it is.
"So we had an urgent appeal for quality players, a huge amount of quality players. We got two quality players but we are not competitive like this. Unfortunately you could see it today."
While United are highly unlikely to be hit by the same sanctions which necessitated Chelsea's rebuild, if Tuchel was appointed, he would be keen to overhaul the squad in his image. The German played a 3-4-2-1 system for the most part at Stamford Bridge but Amorim made it clear the current crop of players were not right for this tactic to compete.
Many feel international management suits Tuchel because he has full control on which players are in his squad, and which are not. But to avoid a tenure at Old Trafford which crashes in on itself, like it did at Chelsea, United's hierarchy must know they would need to give him more control than Amorim was afforded.
This is why the United vacancy will be so difficult for Ineos to fill, especially if they want a manager of the calibre of Tuchel. We are no longer in the era of Sir Alex Ferguson where a manager controls every aspect of the club - it is simply not feasible anymore.
But Ineos would need to give Tuchel what he wants in the transfer window and more of a say in recruitment. It remains to be seen if United are willing to relinquish some of their power though to hire a proven winner.
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