Michael Carrick Set to Become Permanent Manchester United Manager
Michael Carrick is poised to be offered the Manchester United job on a permanent basis after steering the club back into the Champions League – a turnaround that has convinced the hierarchy and, crucially, the dressing room.
United’s 3-2 victory over Liverpool on Sunday did more than deliver a statement win over their fiercest rivals. It locked in a top-five finish and with it a place in Europe’s elite competition, pushing Carrick’s league record to 10 wins and two draws from 14 matches since he stepped in for Ruben Amorim in January.
That run has changed the conversation at Old Trafford.
From stopgap to standard-bearer
When Carrick was handed the reins, the club’s executives resisted any rush to anoint him as the long-term solution. The brief was clear: stabilise the season, chase Champions League qualification, and then talks would follow. No promises. No guarantees.
He has hit that target. Hard.
Sources close to the situation now believe the role will effectively be Carrick’s to turn down. Jason Wilcox, the football director, and chief executive Omar Berrada have both been struck by the clarity, calm and authority he has brought to a squad that had looked fractured and directionless.
They are also acutely aware of something no modern coach can do without at a club of this size: the backing of the players.
Dressing-room verdict: Carrick in charge
Matheus Cunha, scorer of the opener against Liverpool, has become the latest to publicly nail his colours to Carrick’s mast. The forward did not hide his admiration.
“He has the full of confidence of the group. And look, I sat on the bench with him and how he teaches everyone is amazing. I think he has the magic with like these [Sir Alex] Ferguson times, these kinds of things. He’s a pleasure, and then of course I think he deserves it,” Cunha said.
Those words carry weight in a squad that has seen managers come and go with alarming regularity. Cunha’s reference to the “Ferguson times” will not be lost on supporters or decision-makers. It hints at a manager who has reintroduced standards and a sense of belonging that had drifted in recent years.
Behind the scenes, the support runs even deeper. Captain Bruno Fernandes and former captain Harry Maguire are understood to privately favour Carrick being confirmed as the club’s No 1. When the current and previous leaders of the dressing room align on a coach, boards tend to listen.
A decision that shapes the next era
United’s plan had been to assess Carrick over a meaningful sample of games, with Champions League qualification the non-negotiable benchmark. He has delivered that, restored belief, and coaxed improved performances from key figures.
Now the question flips.
The club no longer needs to ask if Carrick has done enough. The more pressing issue is whether he is ready to commit to the project on their terms and carry this resurgence into a full-scale rebuild.
The offer is coming. The next move will be his.
