Manchester United now have the option to do something special with Michael Carrick if Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos look at the bigger picture at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick has already captured the hearts and minds of Manchester United fans after a fairytale start to life as interim head coach at the Premier League club.
Ineos and Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe turned to Carrick to steady the ship until the end of the season after Man Utd sacked Ruben Amorim as the club’s coach.
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Carrick has defied all expectations in his first two matches in the Old Trafford hot seat, with United beating Manchester City before inflicting a loss on Arsenal as well.
United produced a stunning performance against Manchester City at Old Trafford this month in the final Manchester derby of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
The Red Devils’ early momentum did not dwindle away and Man Utd came from behind against Arsenal to secure a 3-2 victory at the Emirates last Sunday evening.
Paul Merson explains the hurdle that Michael Carrick faces to do the unthinkable at Man Utd
The Red Devils are on the hunt for a new permanent head coach to succeed Ruben Amorim ahead of the 2026-27 Premier League campaign at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick has provided the Ineos regime at the Premier League club with the time and space to find the ‘right’ candidate to become the next Red Devils boss.
However, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co are already facing calls not to rule out Manchester United legend Carrick from permanently succeeding Amorim at the club.
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Speaking in his column for Sportskeeda, Paul Merson suggested that Carrick has a “unique problem” with how to become Amorim’s long-term successor at Man Utd.
“Carrick has a long way to go before he can become the permanent manager at Manchester United,” he said.
“There is a unique problem here. As a manager, you only learn more about your credentials after you lose games. It’s all about how you react to these setbacks.”
Paul Merson actually presents an interesting solution for Man Utd with Michael Carrick
Carrick would face tough competition if he wanted to become only the seventh permanent United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era of the Red Devils.
Man Utd have already been linked with several high-profile names, including the likes of Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti and England head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Merson suggested that one option could be for a world-class manager like Thomas Tuchel to have Carrick, with a view to the latter becoming Man Utd head coach permanently in the future.
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“But the situation at Manchester United is such that, Carrick won’t have much time to lose many games,” he added.
“If he starts losing, he will be out of the job! So, I’m not sure he will get the job at the end of the season.
“If he gets to work with someone like Thomas Tuchel, maybe he stands a chance at taking over permanently in the future.”
Tuchel’s short spells and relationships with elite clubs like Bayern Munich and Chelsea have raised eyebrows over his long-term appointment at the Red Devils.
But Ratcliffe and Co could benefit from Carrick becoming Tuchel’s No 2 if the option presented itself and setting the United legend up as the heir-apparent to the throne.
Carrick already took his first steps into management with Middlesbrough, but there is no doubt that he could further enhance his abilities under the tutelage of Tuchel.
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