EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsManchester United have hired Michael Carrick as their permanent manager after a four-month interim tenure that can only be deemed a success. Since Carrick's arrival in January, replacing Ruben Amorim, United have performed marvelously in the Premier League, with a run of 11 wins in 15 games helping to book their spot in next season's UEFA Champions League.However, Friday's appointment of Carrick was hardly a given, and after 13 years of hires gone awry since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager in 2013, it's crucial that United get this one right.So have United made the correct decision? What should their expectations be under Carrick entering next season and beyond? ESPN's Rob Dawson and Mark Ogden answer these questions and more.How did United settle on Carrick?Dawson: United have been holding formal talks with Carrick for a couple of weeks, and it's easy to see why. He has steadied the ship wonderfully since taking over from Amorim, winning 11 of his 15 games in charge to get the club back in the Champions League.There will be some fans who will have been hoping for a higher profile name to take charge next season, but most supporters will agree that Carrick made it almost impossible for the club to hire someone else. United certainly feel that Carrick has earned the right to carry on.There are still doubts about his top-level managerial experience and whether he can handle the added pressure of European football next season. But the biggest argument for him to stay on is that if it's not broken, don't fix it.Ogden: Carrick was always in pole position to get the job on a permanent basis. That wasn't the plan when he arrived to replace Ruben Amorim in January, but results dictate everything, and only Manchester City have a better record in the league since Carrick took charge. That clearly made him the leading candidate.United wanted a coach with a proven record of winning the biggest trophies, and also one who could take on the likes of Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola tactically. They still wanted that profile, but there was no available candidate who ticked those boxes; given that, Carrick put himself at the top of the list.- O'Hanlon: Why Man United should think twice about hiring Carrick- Wright: Man United unveil new 2026-27 home kit ahead of UCL return- Keep or Dump: Extend Bruno? Is Carrick the right manager?Has Carrick earned the job?Dawson: That's subjective. The message from United at the time of Carrick's initial appointment was that it would take something "exceptional" for him to win the job on a long-term basis, though it was probably said in a deliberately vague way so that the club could leave all options on the table.Ultimately, it's hard to say what club bosses determine to be exceptional. Some fans would argue that Champions League qualification is enough; others might say that truly exceptional would have been to somehow gate-crash the title race. It depends on how you view it.What's certain is that United bosses have been delighted with Carrick's impact since he took the job. They've been pleased with the uptick in form, Champions League qualification and the way Carrick has handled the media. It was noted internally that he never got flustered even when he was being asked questions about criticism from former United captain Roy Keane.There has been some concern about performances even in games United have won -- Fulham at home and Everton away are two such examples -- but the general feeling is that Carrick made himself the front-runner for the long-term job, something that wasn't necessarily expected when he arrived in January, and that it should be rewarded.Ogden: Other than winning every game, Carrick couldn't realistically do any more to earn the job. And as Rob said, if United wanted "exceptional," Carrick delivered that by qualifying for the Champions League.United were out of both domestic cup competitions when he arrived and haven't been in Europe this season, so he was tasked with getting United into the Europa League. He has bettered that by securing a place in the Champions League instead.But here's the issue: United are tied in knots about being seen to do the right thing in terms of a thorough search for an alternative because they don't want a repeat of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer situation.Solskjaer had a dream start as interim manager after replacing Jose Mourinho in 2018, and United gave him a long-term contract as a result. He was never cut out for the job and eventually left three years later with the team in disarray.Carrick is a different character to Solskjaer -- he's tougher, less emotional and smart enough to hire Steve Holland as an assistant coach. (Holland was a key part of England's progress under Gareth Southgate, helping the Three Lions reach the Euro 2022 and 2024 finals as well as finishing fourth at the 2018 World Cup.) Some players took advantage of Solskjaer's softer disposition, but that hasn't happened -- and won't happen -- with Carrick.Comparing Carrick to Solskjaer is like apples and pears. The Solskjaer precedent is irrelevant and shouldn't have influenced the decision on what happens next.Which candidates did they look at besides Carrick?Ogden: The leading options under consideration were AFC Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, Germany's Julian Nagelsmann and Paris Saint-Germain's Luis Enrique, but each had issues that ultimately made United stick with Carrick. Thomas Tuchel's decision to rule himself out by extending his England contract also took a major contender out of the running.Just like United overthought the Solskjaer precedent, there was an internal worry about hiring a coach who doesn't have the experience of working at a club of United's stature. Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim both struggled to adjust to the club's demands and expectations -- and the noise that always accompanies it -- which would have made Iraola a risk from that perspective. He has the Premier League experience that neither Ten Hag nor Amorim had, and he has been outstanding at Bournemouth, but United are a huge step up from the Cherries.Nagelsmann wouldn't have been available until after the World Cup. He is also under contract until 2028. At just 38, he still has a bright future in the game, but he was fired by Bayern Munich after less than two years at the Allianz Arena, so there are doubts over his ability to handle a top club. Maybe that was just a blip, but that concern is there, nonetheless.Iraola and Nagelsmann are acknowledged as tactically smart coaches with more top-level experience than Carrick. But could they cope in the United pressure cooker? Replacing Carrick with either would have been considered a risk from that perspective.Luis Enrique would have been the dream appointment -- he's a proven winner and arguably the world's top coach. But even if he had wanted to leave PSG, he would have commanded a fortune in wages and compensation, and his appointment would likely come with a condition that United spent heavily to improve the squad. United would have loved Luis Enrique, but realistically, it wasn't on the cards.Dawson: Carrick's appointment as caretaker in January bought United time, and they used it.They looked at a number of different options and put feelers out with representatives to gather information about different candidates, all while continuing to evaluate Carrick as a genuine option. They paid close attention to almost every coach who could possibly take the job.For example, United bosses are known to be admirers of Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna after speaking to him in summer 2024 when they were deciding whether to stick with Erik ten Hag. McKenna was never considered a serious candidate this time, but that didn't stop the club from revisiting the file compiled on the Northern Irishman and adding to it with further enquiries and observations.Who led the search and what were they looking for?Ogden: CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox were in charge of hiring the next coach. Berrada drove the appointment of Amorim and that was an abject failure, which means there is real pressure to get it right this time with Carrick. Amorim was the hot coaching prospect at the time, but questions remain as to whether Berrada did enough due diligence on Amorim's tactical approach and character, rather than simply wanting to land a rising star, when he hired him from Sporting CP.Wilcox had less of a role in that appointment, but he was still part of the process. He works closely with Carrick and greenlit his request for the hiring of a senior coach in Steve Holland, so he will feel invested in Carrick and the success he has had.It sounds obvious, but this is a crucial hire for United, and not just because they have made so many mistakes since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. All of United's major rivals, aside from Arsenal, are in a state of flux or transition. And with Pep Guardiola leaving Manchester City this summer, that will only add to the sense of the next year or two being a chance to take advantage.That's why United need to get this right with Carrick. If it works, they could win the title in the next season or two. If it doesn't, they will have missed a huge opportunity.Dawson: I have to disagree with Mark here slightly because Berrada and Wilcox will tell you that they did as much due diligence on Amorim as they could. They were well aware of the issues surrounding his 3-4-3 system, but Amorim gave assurances that he wasn't completely wedded to the formation and would, over time, change and adapt. That didn't happen, and it's fair to say Berrada and Wilcox felt let down.United also had no idea how Amorim would react to extended periods of poor form because up until that point, all he had experienced was success. The Amorim appointment didn't work in the way Berrada and Wilcox wanted, but all the blame doesn't fall squarely on their shoulders.It's also important to recognize that they got the Carrick appointment in January right. It would have been very easy to go back to Solskjaer -- who had more experience -- but instead they backed their judgment to hire Carrick. It has worked well, and Berrada and Wilcox deserve a lot of credit for that.Berrada, in particular, is a skilled executive, and lots of staff within the club view him as United's biggest asset.Can Carrick win the Premier League?Dawson: If United continue the form they've shown since Carrick took over, the answer is yes. But Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer and Ten Hag all had successful league seasons before failing to make the step up to genuine challengers.Whether Carrick can succeed where they failed will depend on how well the club recruit in the summer. United need at least one world-class midfielder and more strength in depth to cope with the demands of domestic and European competition.United have missed chances in the past to sign the right players, and they have to get it right this summer. Carrick has beaten Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot this season. The big challenge, though, is to turn the ability to beat anyone in a one-off game into consistency over a long, 10-month campaign.Ogden: First of all, United need better players and more depth. Without ticking those boxes, not even Pep Guardiola could bring the title back to Old Trafford, so the pressure is on Wilcox to deliver the players Carrick needs. It's important to scrutinize his performance as much as Carrick's.There is a trend now to criticize a manager for an unsuccessful transfer window -- look at Slot at Liverpool this year -- but praise the recruitment team when they get it right as United did last summer. That's unfair -- it has to be a collective approach.Don't underestimate the importance of Steve Holland in all of this. In Holland, Carrick has a top-class, proven coach that United have lacked since Ferguson had Rene Meulensteen on the staff, and somebody with a track record of coaching and organizing that his predecessors didn't have.
