Carrick’s first spell as Man Utd boss relived as he beats Solskjaer to job

Michael Carrick will return to Old Trafford for a second time as manager after beating Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the job - and he will hope to enjoy as much success as his first stint

Michael Carrick looks set to be the man to take the reins at Old Trafford for a second time after the ex-midfielder beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the job as interim boss until the end of the season.

But the Norwegian is now out of contention following talks over the weekend. That has left the door open to Carrick to return to management after being sacked by Middlesbrough in the summer.

It would also signal a return to Old Trafford, having acted as a coach following his retirement, while he was also handed the managerial reins in 2021 for a three-match spell following the exit of Solskjaer.

Carrick actually enjoyed a very positive first stint in the hotseat and will be hoping to do the same once more this time around. Mirror Football relives his first spell as caretaker boss to see if he could indeed do that:

After the sacking of Solskjaer, United acted quickly in appointing Carrick on a caretaker basis on November 21, 2021. The former midfielder had been a coach under Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer.

He enjoyed a dream start, having overseen a 2-0 win against Villarreal in the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo had given United the lead late on, with Jadon Sancho securing victory deep into stoppage time in Spain.

Attention then turned to Carrick’s first league game in charge, with Chelsea his first opponents. Sancho was on the scoresheet once more as he gave United the lead at Stamford Bridge.

But the sides were ensured a share of the points as Jorginho’s second-half penalty levelled matters. It left United eighth in the Premier League table.

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Ahead of Carrick’s third game in charge against Arsenal at Old Trafford, it was announced that he would be stepping down in favour of interim boss Ralf Rangnick after the match. However, his move was not formalised in time, meaning that Carrick remained the decision maker for the clash with Arsenal.

And it produced arguably his most impressive result, with a 3-2 comeback win. Emile Smith Rowe had given the Gunners the lead at Old Trafford before Bruno Fernandes equalised on the stroke of half time.

Ronaldo then put the hosts ahead shortly after the break, only to see Martin Odegaard level minutes later. United and Ronaldo would not be denied though as he netted once again to secure victory.

Asked what he had learned from his spell in charge, Carrick replied: "Good question. I think obviously a lot has happened in the last week or 10 days and I've had to certainly adapt and take on a new challenge and some skillsets maybe out of my comfort zone that I've never had to tackle before.

“I've enjoyed seeing how I've coped with that at times. You don't know until you're in that situation and you have to learn on the job. I can say, for the most part, I've enjoyed it."

He eventually left at the end of his caretaker stint and had 10 months away from football before being appointed by Championship side Middlesbrough. Carrick had just under three years at the Riverside and led the club to the playoffs and a Carabao Cup semi-final spot before being jettisoned in June of this year.