Michael Carrick is the latest person to step up and try to break the Manchester United ‘curse’ that has followed every manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
That aforementioned curse has seen David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruben Amorim all receive the sack.
Michael Carrick is the seventh permanent appointment in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era and his reign almost acts as another ‘soft reset’ for the Ineos regime at the club.
However, the 44-year-old United legend is all too familiar with Ferguson’s reign and it would be wise for Carrick to tap into the Scotsman’s blueprint for squad rebuilds.
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Sir Alex Ferguson singled out Sir Bobby Charlton’s reaction to his blueprint in rebuilding Man Utd at Old Trafford
While Sir Alex Ferguson played a key role in transfers alongside David Gill, Michael Carrick will not be as hands-on due to the Ineos regime overseeing the club’s business.
Carrick might be at the mercy of modern-day football practices around managing clubs, but another one of Ferguson’s approaches is a foundational starting point for him.
Ferguson enjoyed incredible success in both Scotland and England as a manager and the 84-year-old would pull every lever at his disposal at Manchester United.
The former United manager admitted that a major part of his squad regenerations hinged on “young people and players,” which resonated with Sir Bobby Charlton.
Speaking to Press Box PR in 2025, Ferguson said: “When I went to United, Bobby Charlton was in the meeting and I said: ‘I don’t know why you have appointed me unless you give me the [rein] to produce young players.’
“Bobby said, ‘That’s done, you’ve got the job.’ Bobby Charlton was a fantastic man.”
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Michael Carrick feels best positioned to tap into the Man Utd academy set-up in a similar way to Sir Alex Ferguson
Is Carrick going to find Man Utd’s next ‘Class of ‘92’ stars and usher in a dynasty in the same way that Ferguson had over English football during his legendary reign?
No, let’s not end up getting carried away with some wild ideas — even if it is impossible to rule them out fully — but Ferguson’s approach is the key here.
Ferguson’s belief in the United youth was and still is the bedrock of the Red Devils, so much so that it could be argued it’s a core part of the club’s overall ‘DNA.’
Ruben Amorim had many shortcomings during his 14-month reign as United manager — a big one was his approach to handling Red Devils academy products.
While Carrick might not wield the same influence as Ferguson did with former United chief executive David Gill, his best answer outside of Ineos’ rule is the youth players.
The rebuild of the current United first-team squad cannot be done by Ineos alone and it will rely on someone like Carrick to leverage youth talent in his plans.
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