Roy Keane and Gary Neville wasted no time airing their views on Manchester United appointing Michael Carrick as head coach for the remainder of the season. A fellow club legend argues that it would be best to reserve judgment for now.
The pressure is on Michael Carrick now.
Carrick became Manchester United head coach on Tuesday, after previously serving the club as a player, coach and interim manager before his departure in 2021.
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A two-and-half-year stint at Middlesbrough saw Carrick gain a wealth of experience in the Championship, but he was unable to achieve promotion despite getting close in each of his campaigns.
United fans will rally behind Carrick, like all managers and coaches who came before him, but he must also try to earn respect from ex-players turned pundits.
Gordon Hill stance on Michael Carrick appointment differs to Roy Keane and Gary Neville
United legend Gordon Hill has urged everyone to take a deep breath and be patient with Carrick as he starts his new role, four years after leaving Old Trafford.
Every manager post-Sir Alex Ferguson has had to deal with the pressures that come at United, but Carrick has experienced this before, having worked under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during a challenging period for the club.
Hill took to X to share his take on Carrick’s appointment, which is quite an alternative view given how other ex-United players have been quicker to push more definitive arguments.
“I suggest everyone just wait and save your judgement until after a few games and see what they can do,” Hill wrote.
“Talking is easy, but doing it is even harder. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. I will.”
However, former United captains Roy Keane and Gary Neville did not shirk away from giving their immediate opinions on Carrick’s return and his backroom staff.
Keane criticised United for appointing Jonny Evans as a first-team coach, just 30 days after the former Northern Ireland international left his role as Loans Manager.
Evans initially took up the new role as first team coach to assist then-caretaker boss Fletcher.
The problem Keane has with this is that he feels Evans is not qualified enough for the position.
Speaking on the Stick To Football podcast, Keane said: “Jonny Evans leaves Man United four or five weeks ago as a loans manager and then Fletch gives him the job, strangely enough, and has two games.
“Fletch goes and Carrick gives him the job. Great, isn’t it?
“We should all go to Barbados for a week… If you’re on about getting coaching staff in, we’re praising one of them and we just let the other two go – Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans.
“What has Jonny Evans done to be a coach at Man Utd’s first team?
“He left a job four weeks ago as a loans manager and ironically comes back working with the first team.”
Neville, on the same podcast, stressed that Carrick should not be considered for the permanent role regardless of how well he does between now and the end of the season.
“I hope he does really well,” Neville added, speaking about his former teammate.
“There cannot be any consideration that Michael takes the job beyond this season, for Michael and for the club.
“If he wins every game, we could be sat here in the season where he’s done unbelievably well, and we’re always thinking if the fans are up and they’re in the Champions League places, fifth or whatever, it could happen if there’s a good run and we could all be getting swayed with it.
“I honestly feel like at the end of the season, when you’ve got [Mauricio] Pochettino, [Thomas] Tuchel and [Carlo] Ancelotti.
“I’ve said Ancelotti as I just feel purely because he’s 66 years of age, he’s got probably the best job in the world right now [Brazil national team]. He’s probably got one job left at club level. If there’s one person who’s got the patience, the composure, the experience of the Premier League.”
Is Gary Neville wrong to be ruling Michael Carrick out of the running for the permanent job already?
Or do you think this is a moment Neville is speaking sense?
Gordon Hill raises questions over Jason Wilcox
After listening to Keane on The Overlap, Hill reflected more on what Keane said about Carrick’s backroom staff.
The 71-year-old believes there is one bigger question to ask as he pointed the finger at United’s football director, Jason Wilcox.
Hill shared a separate update on X, which read: “Just listened to Roy Keane on the subject of who is who when it comes to the coaching. One important question missed will be picking the team if Carrick is head coach/manager or Jason Wilcox as manager.”
Wilcox will face extra scrutiny than before as he searches to find a solution for United’s problems on the pitch. He is now being tasked with finding a permanent head coach to possibly replace Carrick in the summer.
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