Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Manchester United appointed Michael Carrick permanently as head coach towards the end of the 2025/26 season, yet he has been in the role longer than almost half of his peers following a Premier League shake-up like no other.
The 2026/27 Premier League season has already made history despite being three weeks away from kicking off.
Nine of the 20 competing clubs are set to begin the campaign with a new permanent manager. It’s the highest number ever for the top flight’s opening weekend when Manchester United travel to Hull City.
Furthermore, that nine-man list omits Michael Carrick – whose tenure technically began on 13 January 2026, albeit initially as interim boss. It hands the 44-year-old an unexpected high spot in English football’s dog-eat-dog longevity ladder.
Manchester United v Atletico de Madrid - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Getty Images
Michael Carrick is Premier League’s 11th-longest-serving manager
United’s Carrick, appointed as permanent head coach in May 2026, is now the league’s 11th-longest-serving manager, having been in charge for less than a year.
It perfectly illustrates how quickly things have changed, even though his appointment makes him United’s seventh permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Roberto de Zerbi got the job in March, tasked with keeping the team in the Premier League, yet he’s only one place behind Carrick in the longest manager list.
Over the coming months, we will learn what difference this will make for Carrick. He should know his players better than most of the newly appointed managers, who will be desperate to swim rather than sink when the competitive games begin.
Not every team will enjoy a ‘new manager bounce’, but Carrick will be eager to build on the encouraging form United showed under his guidance last term, finishing third in the league table and securing Champions League qualification.
After winning the Premier League for the first time last season, the longest-serving manager in the division, Mikel Arteta, will be eager to help Arsenal define the next Premier League era after Pep Guardiola decides to walk away from Man City. Enzo Maresca opens the new chapter at the Etihad after spending hundreds of millions in the transfer market.
Premier League managers ranked by length of tenure:
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
Daniel Farke (Leeds)
Régis Le Bris (Sunderland)
Fabian Hurzeler (Brighton)
Frank Lampard (Coventry City)
David Moyes (Everton)
Keith Andrews (Brentford)
Sergej Jakirovic (Hull City)
Michael Carrick (Manchester United)
Roberto De Zerbi (Tottenham)
Maro Rose (Bournemouth)
Andoni Iraola (Liverpool)
Pierre Sage (Crystal Palace)
Gary O’Neil (Ipswich Town)
Enzo Maresca (Man City)
Xabi Alonso (Chelsea)
Oliver Glasner (Nottingham Forest)
Alvaro Arbeloa (Fulham)
Matthias Jaissle (Newcastle United)
Mason Mount win rate comparison
Mason Mount win rate comparison
Michael Carrick bringing stability to Man Utd
United need stability because there have been far too many managers since Fergie called it a day in the dugout at Old Trafford.
Carrick’s calm presence bodes well for United, just like it did in midfield for many years, but this job will throw challenges his way like no other.
The team played with consistency under Carrick after enduring a nightmare with Ruben Amorim. Can he maintain that this season and take us to the next level of competing for the Premier League?
It’s a huge task and one dependent on many factors, such as how United strengthen the squad before the transfer window deadline.
Only time will tell, but buckle up. The Premier League season takes off soon.