Manchester United Michael Carrick Recommended for Permanent Job
Manchester United Michael Carrick is expected to be recommended for the permanent manager’s job this week. Senior executives are set to put his name forward to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with formal talks due to follow if he agrees.
Carrick's 10 wins
The 44-year-old won 10 of his 15 matches in charge and lost only twice. He took United from seventh to third in the Premier League and secured a return to the Champions League, which is the form that has pushed him to the front of the search.
Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox are thought to have concluded that Carrick is the right man for the role. They are expected to tell Ratcliffe of their choice this week, and the club will begin formal talks only if he gives the green light.
United's January turnaround
Carrick’s case is built on how quickly the team recovered after his appointment on 13 January. No Premier League club has collected more points than United’s 33 since then, and the first four matches under him brought wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.
That run was not flawless. A seven-game unbeaten stretch ended in March, before United added key wins over Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool. The balance of results is what strengthens his case: he delivered the points total, the league climb and the European return that United wanted from the caretaker spell.
Ratcliffe's call
Carrick already had a three-game stint as temporary boss in 2021 after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was dismissed, and he has been praised internally for his commitment to United’s youth development programme. He also said during his time at the club, “I believe in taking a long-term view with my decisions.”
United had intended to delay appointing a successor to Ruben Amorim until the end of the season, but Carrick has been viewed as the favorite since Champions League qualification was sealed. The club finishes its 2025-26 season against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on 17 May and away to Brighton on 24 May, but the immediate decision sits with Ratcliffe now.
