Life’s good so far for Michael Carrick at Man Utd, but the club will make a permanent appointment in the summer, and Thomas Frank is showing that they must rule out two names.
Michael Carrick still can’t be ruled out from getting a permanent job, especially if he shows tactical acumen and results during his six months in charge.
However, the club are clearly wary of repeating what they did with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in charge, which is why the likelihood of a new man coming is strong.
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If that remains the case, then Thomas Frank, who was once a candidate for the job as well, is showing that they must rule out two names.
Michael Carrick celebrates victory following the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
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Lessons from Thomas Frank’s Spurs struggles
A major reason why Frank was under consideration for the United job before his move to Spurs was how he had overachieved with Brentford.
He had taken the Bees from the doldrums of the Championship to the brink of European qualification at one point, all the while selling his top players.
That skill of getting the best out of a limited budget is an attractive one to top teams, who naturally think that the ceiling is high if he can get his hands on a team with a big budget.
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However, Frank’s struggles at Spurs are a long line of an interesting case study where it’s becoming increasingly clear that success across levels is not so easily transferable.
Frank’s success at Brentford was built on a solid defence, set-piece mastery, and thrilling counter-attacks led by pacey and physical forwards.
When managing a big team, the space afforded to you is minimised, and you must break down stubborn low blocks while having the majority of possession.
Effectively, now that Frank is Spurs manager, he is finding it difficult to beat the Brentfords of his day.
There is no clear Plan B on how to dominate teams who cede the initiative, and that is why Spurs are doing well in the Champions League, where they are a Brentford among the elites, but struggle to then beat Burnley at the weekend.
For United, there is a big lesson there.
Man Utd must look past Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner
Every season, there are a few managers in the Premier League who overperform the expectations set upon them.
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For the last two seasons, Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner have been the apple of the eyes of the Premier League.
Both have been linked to the United job, but Frank’s predicament at Spurs should give the decision-makers at Old Trafford a pause.
Much like Frank, both Iraola and Glasner’s game plan is reliant on pressing high, forcing turnovers, and attacking at speed.
They struggle when they have the majority of possession, which is why they suit the underdog more than the favourite.
A player like Rodri would struggle to make the same impact in a National League team as he does in a Pep Guardiola team. The question is – why aren’t managers treated the same way?
Vincent Kompany broke down low blocks with Burnley in the Championship, then struggled against better teams in the Premier League.
He’s flying with Bayern now despite that, because his managerial style is more suited to managing top players.
United must look past the hipster overachievers and settle on managers who play a style of football that’s translatable to a big team, regardless of how their results were with smaller teams.
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