Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
The standout difference between the respective reigns of Michael Carrick and Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford should now be clear for any Manchester United fan.
Michael Carrick’s tenure as the permanent Manchester United manager only started back in May after Ineos appointed him as Ruben Amorim’s long-term successor.
However, the 45-year-old United legend has been at Old Trafford for seven months after he returned as the Premier League club’s interim head coach in January.
Carrick saw out the second half of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign after former United boss Ruben Amorim was sacked by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s regime.
Head Coach Michael Carrick, Assistant Head Coach Steve Holland of Manchester United takes part in a walk ahead of the pre-season friendly match between Manchester United and Atletico de Madrid at Strawberry Arena on August 01, 2026 in Solna, Sweden.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Cristian Orozco signs for Manchester United
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Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez and Rio Ferdinand agree on Michael Carrick’s underappreciated attribute at Man Utd
Michael Carrick has been undertaking his first pre-season summer tour as the seventh permanent Manchester United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
The former Man Utd midfielder successfully led the Red Devils to third place in the Premier League table in the 2025-26 Premier League campaign at Old Trafford.
All eyes are now on how Carrick will manage himself in the Old Trafford hot seat during a full season, including overseeing Man Utd’s Champions League run.
Javier Hernandez and Rio Ferdinand showed that Carrick’s tenure at Man Utd has exhibited his true personality, including not bringing any ‘drama’ to the forefront.
“So, I’m very surprised, man, and mostly because of how… you know Carrick more than I, because you spend so many times not only as a teammate in the club, but also on the national team,” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“Carrick was always a man of like, he never had a problem with no-one.”
Responding to Javier Hernandez, Rio Ferdinand added: “No, no, no. Civilised, calm person.”
Chicharito then continued: “Civilised, calm, even underrated, you know, because of that personality. When I was a player, so I don’t understand. And then how are you going to criticise a manager who’s giving you results?”
READ MORE: After only two pre-season matches with AC Milan, Ruben Amorim still can’t break Man Utd cycle he engineered
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Michael Carrick’s approach has been refreshing for Man Utd fans compared with Ruben Amorim’s tenure
In the space of 14 months, United fans knew that drama was around the corner for ex-United boss Ruben Amorim, who is now the head coach of Serie A side AC Milan.
If it weren’t the entire fiasco involving Kobbie Mainoo, then it was Amorim’s contentious Man Utd tactical system or his other remarks that sparked drama.
Maybe the calming atmosphere at Old Trafford under Carrick is being overlooked because that is what Red Devils supporters expect at their club anyway.
However, there is no doubt that Carrick’s personality and demeanour have exhibited exactly what Javier Hernandez and Rio Ferdinand saw in him as a player.
During his widely underrated and prolific playing career, Carrick was never at the forefront of major drama during the Sir Alex Ferguson era or after it either.
It seems like a seamless transition from his playing days to his managerial career that the United legend’s aura has ensured a drama-free period at Old Trafford for seven months now.