Michael Carrick is inching closer to the Manchester United job, but the narrative around his appointment is worrying.
With just one defeat in his first 10 matches as Manchester United interim head coach, it is hard to look past Michael Carrick for the permanent job.
Carrick has hinted at talks with Ineos taking place following his impressive start, but the official appointment is not expected to take place until the summer.
According to Manchester Evening News, Carrick’s only remaining contenders for the job are Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann.
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Michael Carrick is at risk of looking like a second choice
Gary Neville insists United cannot hire Carrick despite his impressive record, and he has urged Ineos to go for the best manager in the market.
Nagelsmann and Enrique are world-class managers with a big reputation, so it seems Ineos are thinking along the same lines.
But if United end up going with Carrick, it worries me that he will come across as a back-up option because neither Enrique nor Nagelsmann were available.
Immediately, that is ammunition to be used against Carrick if he struggles as the permanent head coach.
Suddenly, the narrative will be that United wanted a ‘proven’ head coach like Nagelsmann or Enrique but ended up with Carrick instead.
In reality, Carrick has earned his shot at the job through merit and is just as deserving as an Enrique or Nagelsmann.
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Ineos will have to throw full support behind Michael Carrick
Carrick has built a very strong application for the United job through his two interim spells, but if he is appointed permanently, it will feel like a fresh start.
Results are ultimately all that matter, and football is a sport with a short-term memory. United are on track to bring Champions League football back to Old Trafford and Carrick will have targets set in both Europe and in the Premier League.
Carrick is yet to be truly tested as United coach with only one defeat on his record. Ruben Amorim famously said the “storm is coming” when he was in charge, and he failed to weather it.
When the pressure is put on Carrick, his inexperience will inevitably be questioned and names like Enrique and Nagelsmann will be brought up.
If Carrick is chosen by Ineos, the United chiefs will have to throw their full support behind him in the tough times. There can be no lingering regrets over Enrique or Nagelsmann.
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