Wayne Rooney is convinced that Michael Carrick is well-equipped to overcome one tough test as Manchester United manager if he took on the role on a permanent basis.
Michael Carrick’s reign as interim head coach will come to an end after the next three Premier League matches in the 2025-26 campaign at Old Trafford.
The 44-year-old Manchester United legend crossed off a major objective at the weekend after he secured the Red Devils’ return to the Champions League.
United hosted rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford and Carrick’s Red Devils side sealed a stunning 3-2 Premier League win on Sunday afternoon.
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Wayne Rooney points to Michael Carrick’s experience for the Man Utd legend to handle the Champions League
Michael Carrick has been tipped as one of the candidates to succeed former Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim as the next Manchester United manager in the summer.
The former Middlesbrough manager has been widely hailed for his transformative impact at the Red Devils since Ruben Amorim was axed as Man Utd manager.
Speaking after Man Utd’s 3-2 win over Liverpool, Wayne Rooney brought up the discourse around Carrick leading the Red Devils in the Champions League.
United’s all-time scorer insisted that Carrick could weather the storm of the increased fixture schedule after managing in the Championship with Middlesbrough.
“The one thing that we’re hearing is, oh, Champions League football next year, there’s more games,” he said on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show.
“So how is he going to deal with that?
“He’s been in the championship with Middlesbrough. Squad rotation there is actually even more difficult than it is in the Premier League because normally you’ve got like 14 players who’ve got a bit of quality and the rest beyond that haven’t.
“So, he’s been there, he knows how to do that.”
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Michael Carrick on his Man Utd managerial future after the Liverpool win at Old Trafford
Carrick was asked about his prospects of remaining at Old Trafford for the long term and the former United midfielder played down the noise around his future.
“You can still add a few layers in the next couple of weeks, so we’ll begin with that,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s not about what I like or what I do not like. It’s not in my control. Everything has gone so well; we know the situation and where we are.
“I am happy with where we are at the moment and we still want to get better. Let’s see what happens next.
“At this moment in time, it’s not something I am thinking about.”
Man Utd are third in the Premier League table and the Red Devils will return to action at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
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