The task for interim manager Michael Carrick is straightforward: qualify for the Champions League.
Ralf Ragnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjær were the last interim managers tasked with the same, and neither achieved it. Their circumstances were different: Rangnick was expected to take on a directorial role after his interim stint, and Solskjaer was tasked only with the immediate needs. As things turned out, the former was dismissed after his interim stint, while the latter was made permanent manager.
The most significant context in Carrick’s situation is that managers hired for long-term and short-term intentions tend to make different decisions based on these intentions. A permanent manager is likely to take a few short-term hits that they believe will help the club going forward, but in doing so, might fail to consolidate the power needed to steer the club in line with their vision.
When Ruben Amorim was appointed last season, I claimed that timing would be the biggest factor in his potential success or failure; that it would be the biggest factor in the potential success or failure of any manager. Michael Carrick has returned the feel-good factor, and with five English sides expected to qualify for the Champions League, the barriers to entry won’t be as demanding as they were for previous incumbents.
Ruben Amorim underwhelmed as manager, but his departure was a surprise. There was a drop in expectations, but he didn’t leave the club in a crisis; words like rebuild and transition were not used to describe the situation going forward.
United have a squad with a decent mix of youth and experience, and the attacking players have a swagger and steel about them that was lacking in the previous assemblages in the post-Ferguson era. There aren’t major contract-related issues, nor are there issues that come with high wages or transfer fees for underperforming players; not as they have unfolded under the previous incumbents anyway.
All of which is to say, the timing is good. If Michael Carrick helps the club qualify for next year’s Champions League, United don’t have entertain the young technocratic managers that have dominated conversations whenever a United manager looks set for the sack. This isn’t to question their potential for success at the club, but most of them lack the credentials for the task at hand, despite their promise; Amorim was one such name before he was hired.
That leaves the board with some clarity going forward; only the big names like Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel, and Luis Enrique will be considered. Of course, if Michael Carrick qualifies for the Champions League, there’ll be a temptation to keep him.
One could make the case that he has the promise to become United’s own Ancelotti or Heynckes: decorated players who bring calmness, adaptability, and presence from their playing days into management. Thomas Tuchel’s management credentials are without doubt, but with so much talk of United DNA these days, one can see why his football might light up the imagination. Then there’s Enrique, whose fiery personality and charisma seem like a fit for United.
Everyone has a strong case, and this will ultimately benefit United. If Carrick succeeds in helping the side qualify but the board decide on one of the bigger names to take the helm next season, Carrick can be counted on as the backup option if the big name doesn’t succeed—the ball’s in United’s court.