Michael Carrick has been informed what it will take to get the Manchester United manager's job full time
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick celebrates after beating Arsenal
Michael Carrick has impressed during his first few weeks as Manchester United interim head coach.(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
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Ben Foster believes Manchester United will have no choice but to give Michael Carrick the permanent manager's position if he wins 10 of his next 15 games. The former United midfielder has enjoyed an excellent start to life in the dugout since the club dismissed Ruben Amorim, securing wins over Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two fixtures.
The ex-Middlesbrough boss currently has a deal that runs until the end of the season, with speculation already emerging that he could be given the substantive role if he keeps delivering results. While many have been impressed by United's upturn in form under Carrick, club legend Paul Scholes has claimed officials could be cautious about extending his tenure.
It follows the club's earlier decision to award Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the permanent position after he impressed as caretaker. However, former United goalkeeper Foster believes Carrick would be a shoo-in for the job if he wins at least two thirds of his remaining games in charge.
His comments came after he praised Carrick for helping to lift the pressure off his squad's shoulders in recent weeks. Foster's call also came despite him acknowledging concerns over a repeat of the Solskjaer situation.
Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, he said: "The weight of the badge is phenomenal for Manchester United, but then a new manager comes in, somebody that they know, somebody that they trust and they get on with as a friend.
"That's the kind of the situation that they're in at the minute with Carrick, it's all friendly. He's only the interim and it's not full time. I would worry that if it goes full time, then that changes that dynamic a little bit.
Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Concerns have been raised that Man United would be unwilling to give Michael Carrick the job due to what happened with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
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"We've seen it before with plenty of teams, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and it changes the dynamic a little bit. But he's so far beaten Man City and Arsenal.
"What a start and he's got 15 games left for Manchester United now. If he wins ten of those 15 games, you've got to give him the job."
Whether Carrick ends up in contention for the permanent manager's job remains to be seen. However, Scholes reckons United will be "scarred" by their earlier decision regarding Solskjaer.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, the former United midfielder said: "He's come into the job now and it's been that bad for a year that it couldn't really get any worse, so the pressure isn't really on you while you're interim manager.
"Once you take that job full-time, at the start of the season next year, let's say, all of a sudden you've got to be winning games straightaway.
"They will be scarred a little bit from the Ole [Gunnar Solksjaer] thing. If the Ole thing hadn't have happened then it would probably be more likely."
United resume Premier League duties on Sunday, 1 February, as Fulham visit Old Trafford, with the hosts looking to claim three straight wins for the second time this season.