One suspects Michael Carrick will have used a few of the lessons imparted upon him by Sir Alex Ferguson following his Old Trafford return, with another former mentor in one-time West Ham United boss Alan Pardew watching on fondly.
One day after West Ham cruised past Sunderland in the best performance of the Nuno Espirito Santo era, Manchester United joined the Londoners at the top of the form table as they also recorded back-to-back Premier League wins.
Former Upton Park stalwart Don Hutchison singled out Carrick as a potential Nuno replacement only a few weeks back, when relegation looked a certainty for West Ham United.
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Michael Carrick, Manager of Manchester United celebrates after winning the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on January 25, 2026 in London, England.
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Instead, another of his ex-employers took the plunge. Man United are seeing instant returns as well, Carrick masterminding successive victories over Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
And Alan Pardew, who coached a fresh-faced Carrick during the 2003/04 season, cannot speak highly enough of a man who has always been rather ‘immune to pressure’.
An attribute he will need more than ever these days.
Alan Pardew remembers Michael Carrick at West Ham United
Pardew called Carrick one of the ‘brightest young midfield talents in the country’ all those years ago in East London. Now, the 44-year-old is starting to establish himself as one of the brightest young coaching minds in the country too.
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“The performance was terrific,” Pardew told talkSPORT after Carrick helped end the Red Devils’ nine-year wait for a league win away at Arsenal. “This Man United team, from where they were three, four weeks ago, I mean, it’s night and day, isn’t it?
“The back four looks stable. The midfield looks nicely balanced. And, at the top of the pitch, you’ve got matchwinners like Manchester United historically have always had.
“Back to our old Man United! Well done, Michael Carrick.”
Michael Carrick and Steed Malbranque during Fulham v West Ham United
Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images
When asked specifically to reflect on their time together at Upton Park, meanwhile, there is one thing which really stood out. A quality which would see Carrick become a mainstay at the heart of Man United’s midfield during multiple Premier League-winning campaigns and their 2008 Champions League triumph.
“The greatest attribute I can say about Michael Carrick – apart from being a great personality – is that, with his first touch, he was just immune to pressure,” Pardew recalls.
“It was almost like he knew where the pressure was coming from, and his touch would take him away from the pressure, therefore buying time. That sort of ‘lazy’ style he had…
“It was just easy for him!”
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Mark Noble is a big fan of Manchester United’s interim head coach
Hammers News were told at the turn of the year that West Ham were not considering bringing Michael Carrick back to the capital, claims made in the aftermath of that horrific 3-0 collapse at bottom-of-the-table Wolves.
That, though, reflects more on the enduring faith they had in Nuno, rather than their assessment of the former Middlesbrough boss.
Hammers News can also confirm that sporting director Mark Noble is a big fan of Carrick. Should he guide Man United into the top four, and should West Ham opt to move on from Nuno in the summer for whatever reason, expect the former England international to feature heavily in the discussions.
“Michael Carrick and [Gareth Soutgate’s old Three Lions assistant] Stevie Holland there have grabbed their hearts and grabbed their minds,” Pardew adds when reflecting on Man United’s 2-0 and 3-2 victories over Man City and Arsenal.
“They’re like, ‘We’re going to play a different way. We’re going to go back to a back four’. You know, back to what you know.
“And it just shows, that little bit of confidence in the back four, suddenly the midfield frees up a little bit, and the attacking players go, ‘Oh, that’s a nice balance now. We’re all right now. I might take a few hits from outside the box’…”
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