Manchester United have a problem. They appointed Michael Carrick as head coach until the end of the season to buy them time, but after three successive victories and a complete transformation of the mood at Old Trafford, the “caretaker” is starting to back United into a corner.
The club has a window in which to decide who, why and when in terms of identifying and hiring their No. 1 candidate as permanent head coach. But by exceeding expectations with his 100% winning start, Carrick is closing that window a little too quickly and it might lead to the United hierarchy having to make a crucial decision sooner than it wants to make it.
The ideal scenario for United would be to wait until the end of the season and assess their options, possibly based on whether they finish in the top four, top six or neither, but that is naive and unrealistic. If United really want to get back to the top, they have to have their new coach lined up within the next four to six weeks, and that’s why Carrick is becoming a problem. A good problem perhaps, but a problem nonetheless.
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On the face of it, there are no negatives right now for United following Carrick’s installation as coach last month following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim after 14 turbulent months in charge. By guiding United to those three Premier League wins against Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham, Carrick has put the club in a strong position to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League, so the champagne corks should be popping in the boardroom. But by having such an immediate and positive impact, Carrick has muddied the waters of United’s search for a permanent replacement for Amorim. In many ways, he is doing too well.
Carrick’s brief was to steady the ship, bring stability to the squad and steer United toward European qualification while allowing CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox to pinpoint the ideal candidate to take over from Carrick in the summer. Berrada and Wilcox must decide on the profile of the permanent boss — a young head coach or a more experienced manager — and then negotiate with the preferred candidate, agents and possibly his current employers.
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All of these things take time, but if Carrick continues to overperform and United keep on winning, the clamor for him to get the job permanently will grow. The club hierarchy will have to decide whether to stick with something that is working, albeit with an unproven coach at the top level, or take the cold-headed approach of discounting Carrick completely to pursue an elite manager such as Thomas Tuchel or Carlo Ancelotti.
Both England manager Tuchel and Brazil boss Ancelotti are under contract until the end of the FIFA World Cup, as is United States coach Mauricio Pochettino. Another potential candidate, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner, will also be a free agent this summer after announcing last month he will not sign a new contract at Selhurst Park. But United can’t wait until the summer before engaging with any of those coaches, or others who might be in the frame, because they will all likely have other options. Any hesitation on United’s part would put them at risk of missing out on their top target.
At the same time, whoever is destined to take the United job will want to know the club’s plans for recruitment and have an input in terms of who to sign and who to let go. None of these elements can be left until the end of the World Cup in mid-July.
Harry Maguire’s situation at United is a prime example of an issue that the next coach will want to influence. The 32-year-old defender is out of contract at the end of the season, but one coach might want to retain the England center back’s experience, while another might choose to let him go in order to promote youngsters such as Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven. And Maguire might also want to know who his manager will be next season before deciding whether to stay or leave if a contract offer is placed on the table.
The same applies to Kobbie Mainoo. The 20-year-old midfielder was frozen out by Amorim and looked set to leave United in January, but he has now started all three games under Carrick and appears to be a crucial member of the team again.
The United recruitment team will have their views on Maguire and Mainoo, and they have already decided that midfielder Casemiro will leave when his contract expires in the summer, but a head coach at a club of United’s stature must have a say in the make-up of his squad. And potential signings will also want to know who they will be playing for. Will it be a 3-4-3 coach like Amorim, a 4-3-3 disciple such as Ancelotti, or a more flexible coach like Tuchel? Or will it be Carrick?
Sources have told ESPN that United are considering transfer moves Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton as they attempt to rebuild their midfield, but it is difficult to imagine any of them choosing United without having a clear of idea of who will be in charge of the team and their tactical philosophy.
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What has Michael Carrick changed at Manchester United?
Mark Donaldson and Shaka Hislop discuss how United have looked different since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim.
Ten years ago this week, Manchester City announced that Pep Guardiola would become their manager in the summer of 2016. It gave clarity to incoming signings and allowed big decisions to be made ahead of his arrival.
Liverpool took a different approach when replacing Jürgen Klopp with Arne Slot two years ago, confirming the appointment of the Feyenoord coach in mid-May. But despite Slot’s success in winning the Premier League in his first season, his relatively late appointment was followed by a summer transfer window that saw Liverpool miss out on top target Martín Zubimendi (who later joined Arsenal) and end up with just one low-key signing in Federico Chiesa.
United can’t afford a similarly unproductive summer window. Despite the recent revival under Carrick, the club still has much to do off the pitch and need clarity to move forward. So they must make a big a decision quickly. They should either announce that Carrick will take the job permanently or make it clear that he won’t.
If they sit on the fence and delay their decision, United will only be harming themselves.
