Ex-Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick is in interim charge of Manchester United
10:26, 18 Mar 2026Updated 10:29, 18 Mar 2026
Michael Carrick, head coach of Manchester United
Michael Carrick, head coach of Manchester United(Image: Getty Images)
Wayne Rooney has told Manchester United to abandon their search for their next permanent manager, and hand the reins for the long-term to former Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick.
Despite being sacked by Boro in the summer after three failed attempts to get the club back to the Premier League, Carrick was offered an enviable route back into management in January, stepping in to take over at Old Trafford after Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
Already a Manchester United legend, Carrick had a similar impact there to the one he had at the Riverside when he first joined in October 2020. He’s guided Manchester United to seven wins from his nine games in charge, and they now look almost certain for a Champions League return next term.
Carrick, who spent two-and-a-half years in charge of Boro, was initially appointed as head coach until the end of the season, though his official title wasn’t either ‘interim’ or ‘caretaker’. Last week, owner Sir Jim Radcliffe refused to be drawn on whether Carrick would be staying or not.
Asked if Carrick should get the Manchester United job full-time, Rooney Told BBC 5 Live: “100 per cent he should. I knew this was going to happen with Michael Carrick, I know him very well, I know his character and personality.
“It needed a calm head, but someone who knows the place and the players needed some love and he's give them that. We're seeing the players play with more quality, we're seeing them more together as a team and they look like a very strong team.
"So, for me, why would you change? You've got someone who's got I think the best win percentage of any Manchester United manager after that many games, so, for me, he has to get the job."
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Roy Keane is not so certain, however. Though his previously strong condemnation of Carrick’s appointment has softened, with the former Ireland international praising the former Boro boss for his impact, he still doesn’t believe he’s the long-term solution.
Keane told Sky Sports: “I think there are better options out there. I think the games that he has come in, he has won football matches and done a very good job. He has simplified things.
“But there has been no jeopardy in those games. They've had free weeks to prepare for those matches, it has been good timing for him, and he has done a very good job. I take my hat off to him.
"And if he does get the job in the summer, good luck to him. But I think there are far better options out there for the next manager of Man United. If Carrick had been mentioned three months ago as the next United manager you'd have been locked up. He wasn't even in the reckoning!
“But with time he has got the opportunity and he has done a very good job. I just think there are better options out there."
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