Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has named Michael Carrick as a future Manchester United manager.
Michael Carrick was a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s coaching staff during his spell at Manchester United, having previously worked under Jose Mourinho.
A former teammate of Solskjaer, Carrick ended up briefly succeeding him when he took over as caretaker manager for three matches in late 2021 when the Norwegian was fired.
Carrick walked away from the role and United brought in Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis, before hiring Erik ten Hag.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer backs Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick took a break from the game before returning to take over as Middlesbrough manager earlier this season.
He has turned their struggling form around, leading them into the Championship play-offs.
Speaking to The Athletic in a rare interview, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer voiced his admiration for Carrick and has backed him to return as Manchester United manager in the future.
He said: “I am 100 per cent sure that Michael will be the manager of Manchester United if he wants to be.
“He’s had Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho as managers, and he’s played with the best players in the world. He’s a winner but he’s still in control of his emotions.
“I cannot see him not being the Manchester United manager.”
Carrick steered Manchester United through three difficult games during his caretaker spell, with wins over Villarreal and Arsenal and a draw away at Chelsea.
He showed in these games he was not afraid to make difficult decisions, benching Cristiano Ronaldo for one and Bruno Fernandes for another.
There was little appetite among United fans at that time for another caretaker boss, with memories tainted by Solskjaer’s bright start which failed to materialise into success before becoming permanent.
Carrick was also a little tainted at that time by association with Mourinho and Solskjaer’s spells, fairly or not. The caretaker stint showed he was his own man, but he really needed to go out and show it elsewhere to prove himself, and put in more ‘hard yards’ lower down the leagues.
He has proved his managerial capability with Middlesbrough, turning them around on a budget, improving players and delivering results, without using previous United connections for loan deals. Whatever happens in the play-off lottery, he has enhanced his reputation.
Whether his future is at Manchester United or not, Carrick has worked wonders and the praise is well deserved.
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