Should Michael Carrick get the Man United job? How results, upcoming games could leave Red Devils with tough decision

Under the leadership of Michael Carrick, Manchester United have suddenly found themselves third in the Premier League table as March takes hold and the home stretch of the 2025/26 season is in sight.

The former United midfielder took over for the sacked Ruben Amorim in early January on an interim basis and has revitalised the club with a swiftness few saw coming, vaulting them up the domestic table and putting the Red Devils in position to qualify for the upcoming Champions League competition.

With Michael Carrick's strong start to managerial life at Old Trafford, questions have risen about his credentials for the full-time position which will need filling once the summer comes.

The Sporting News breaks down whether United should strongly consider Carrick for its open position this summer, and whether he has a case for being the next permanent boss of the famous club.

MORE: Man United vs. Crystal Palace score, stats, result, talking points as Fernandes, Sesko send Red Devils third in Premier League

Michael Carrick record as Man United manager

Victory against Crystal Palace on March 1 meant Michael Carrick became just the second manager in Premier League history to avoid defeat in each of his first seven matches in charge of a club, following in the footsteps of Ange Postecoglou.

Man United results under Michael Carrick

Remaining Man United fixtures

There are still a number of fixtures remaining that could ultimately determine Michael Carrick's long-term future at Manchester United.

Visits to St. James' Park and Stamford Bridge through March and April loom large as do games against Liverpool and Leeds in front of the Old Trafford faithful.

The early May game against the Reds is likely Carrick's biggest chance to make a firm statement, as Liverpool — one of their chief rivals for a Champions League place down the stretch — have been vulnerable this season, and a rivalry win at home over a hated opponent would put in significant emotional groundwork for a run at the permanent managerial role.

Should Michael Carrick be hired as full-time Man United manager?

There are many points of order to consider when asking whether Michael Carrick should be a truly serious candidate for the full-time position at United.

It's worth weighing not only what this brief turnaround looks like under new management, but how it has come to pass. While there are clear signs that a correction could be on the horizon, the results already achieved should not be discounted, and the manner in which Carrick has gone about business at the globally renowned club is worth detailing for its undeniable merit.

Results matter: Man United's turnaround under Carrick nothing short of complete

There is no shying away from the fact that Michael Carrick has achieved results, something those who came before him could not match.

The current 11-match unbeaten streak United are enjoying, largely under Carrick's watch, is not only the longest active streak of any club currently in the Premier League, but is United's longest such run since 2021, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was at the wheel.

United have not been third in the Premier League for almost three years, and they are showing late-game grit not seen at any point during Amorim's tenure.

Wins over Arsenal, Fulham, and Crystal Palace and the draw against West Ham, all under Carrick, featured either late-game heroics or a come-from-behind approach. While on one hand, that surely indicates that this level of sustained success is unquestionably over-valuing this group of players and the manager, it's also worth giving credit to the man in charge for ripping away the doom-and-gloom aura that has hung over Old Trafford so frequently in the last decade.

There is both a confidence and assuredness oozing from Carrick since he arrived, and it has permeated through the squad.

Carrick doing what Amorim could not: get the best out of Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes has been a top-five player in the Premier League essentially since joining United, and a cohesive argument could be made for his position at the top of that list for around two or three years now.

What United have not been able to do is translate the undeniable talents and production from Fernandes into consistent results on the pitch.

Enter Carrick, who has mastered the ability to provide Fernandes with enough help to achieve consistent results, while still allowing the Portugal international to shine brightest within the group. Carrick has given Fernandes the help he needs to achieve team results, while still allowing the 31-year-old to maximise his output.

Amorim continued to force his signature style regardless of the skill sets within the United squad, but fixing their problems were not as simple as just reverting to a 4-2-3-1. Sure, Carrick has simplified the United approach by doing just that, but he's achieved much more than this one obvious switch.

What Carrick has done is build forward in a 4-2-3-1 by prioritising diagonal passes. United have built their system under Carrick such that they alter their frame of reference on the pitch based on where the ball is. In essence, the 4-2-3-1 system does not change, and United's desire to play back-to-front does not change, but by altering the genesis of the formation to fit the position of the ball, they have turned vertical or horizontal passes into diagonal ones.

All of this serves to compliment Fernandes, who is the heartbeat of their team. Everything in United's system still prioritises getting Fernandes on the ball, but they have done so both in dangerous positions and with the requisite complimentary pieces in place to threaten the opposition.

Rise of Mainoo and Sesko under Carrick a boon for United

Fans were screaming for Amorim to bring Kobbie Mainoo back into the starting line-up, but his resisted all the way up until his dismissal earlier this year.

Since being installed in Amorim's place, Carrack has brought Mainoo back from exile and worked to maximise his strengths of dribbling, short passing, and ball recovery. The 20-year-old is averaging almost two shot assists per 90 minutes this season all from a deep lying position, all while maintaining a strong disciplinary record as well as contributing heavily towards possession retention and progression up the field.

The idea that Carrick immediately saw what Amorim could not has stoked a strong fervor in United fans to his managerial credentials, and rightly so. While Amorim refused to deviate even slightly from his vision, Carrick has shown a willingness and ability to adapt to the situation from the word go, a valuable indicator of his long-term credentials as permanent manager.

Mainoo is not the only previously outcast player now thriving under Carrick's watch, as Benjamin Sesko is loving life under the interim boss. United paid a hefty fee for the young striker, but he struggled to adapt to the Premier League under Amorim and was used sparingly.

Since Amorim's departure, Sesko is the leading goal scorer in the Premier League. The big Slovenian has bagged six goals in his past seven league matches, compared to just one in the previous 16. Like with Mainoo, Carrick was able to immediately identify Sesko's most useful traits and construct the side to squeeze the most juice from the fruit.

The basic tonic for unlocking Sesko was simply to have him shoot more. 19 of Sesko's 49 shots this season, or 37%, have come since Carrick's arrival, despite playing just 21% of his minutes in that same span. While there is some game state boost built into those numbers with Sesko having come on late with United chasing the game, he is still clearly being told to trust his own shooting instincts more. His remarkable 6.62 shots per 90 minutes under Carrick is by far the highest of his short professional career, compared with the 2.87 per 90 under Amorim.

With both these players, freedom is paramount. Trusting Mainoo to contribute in more phases of the game, including the occasional venture forward from his No. 6 position, while unleashing Sesko to fire away in front of goal has allowed United to flourish under Carrick after being rigorously locked in tight during Amorim's tenure.

Carrick has luxury of breathing room in fixture schedule working in his favour

When evaluating Carrick's credentials and this positive run of results early in his interim tenure, we must remember one very important caveat.

Carrick's strong run of results to begin his time as United boss have come during a stretch where he is navigating a single competition. While many other clubs around them in the table juggle three, even four competitions simultaneously, United have only the Premier League to worry about.

After falling at the first hurdle in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and not playing in Europe this year, United are set to contest the fewest games they've ever played in a single season since all the way back in the 1914/15 campaign.

In the modern game, avoiding fixture congestion is an enormous luxury. It allows Carrick to work meticulously in training on implementing his ideas, evaluate the talent within the squad effectively, and keep his players fit for action with longer to recover between matches.

Just because Carrick is having success now, with a week or more between matches, does not mean that he will find the same joy next year with just about three days between games. While this fact does not take away from what he has accomplished so far, United would be wise to remember this when weighing his accomplishments over the past few months against the resumes of other candidates.