Once again, Manchester United have turned to their illustrious past to help guide them towards an uncertain future.
Following the news that head coach Ruben Amorim had been sacked, the club has returned to another former player to lead the team on an interim basis. This time, Michael Carrick has been tasked with taking charge of a United team low on confidence.
Carrick returns to the club that he represented as a player to serve as a short-term head coach, just as Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Darren Fletcher have done in recent years. This is Carrick’s second stint in charge, having also filled in after the departure of Solskjaer in 2021.
During Carrick’s previous spell, he led a Manchester United team that included his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. A decade earlier Carrick and Ronaldo had won the Champions League together and there remained a mutual respect between the two club legends.
After fulfilling his short-term coaching duties, Carrick left the club in December 2021. Once his departure was announced, Ronaldo posted a poignant message of thanks for his former teammate-turned-coach.
CR7 wrote: “Michael Carrick was a class act as a player and he can become a great coach as well. Nothing is impossible for this guy. Personally, I’m proud to have played with him by my side as well as with him as a manager on our bench.”
Four years on, United are back in the position of appointing Carrick on a short-term basis after sacking a coach. This time around he will be given until the summer to lead the team, with a top four finish and Champions League qualification still firmly within grasp.
EmeraldJ
23
Carrick will do well