There is a strange tension building inside Manchester United, and it is not on the pitch. For the first time in months, results are not the problem. Under interim manager Michael Carrick, the club have strung together seven wins and just one defeat across 10 Premier League matches — a turnaround so emphatic that winger Amad Diallo has publicly thrown his support behind making the appointment permanent. “He knows the club and has the DNA,” Amad said while speaking from United’s four-day training camp in the Republic of Ireland.
Carrick returned to Old Trafford in January following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim, inheriting a squad that had lost confidence in a system and a manager in equal measure. His initial brief was simple: steady the ship until the end of the season. What he has delivered instead is one of the most impressive short-term recoveries in recent Premier League memory, restoring a back four, liberating Bruno Fernandes to his best position, and engineering wins over both Manchester City and Arsenal during the same 10-game stretch.
The transformation of Fernandes alone is worth dwelling on. Under Amorim, the Portuguese was deployed as a deep-lying midfielder — a role that stunted his creative instincts and contributed to a slow start to his season. Carrick moved him back to the number 10 position, and the results have been extraordinary. Fernandes has since surpassed David Beckham’s United record for assists in a Premier League season and is threatening the all-time standard of 20, shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Striker Bryan Mbeumo echoed Amad’s sentiments, describing Carrick as a manager who “knows how to talk to us” and whose familiarity with the club has made the environment measurably calmer. That calmness, compared to the constant background noise that defined Amorim’s tenure, appears to have been a significant factor in the upturn. Players who were reluctant to commit under the previous regime are now signing extensions, with Harry Maguire having already penned a new deal and Kobbie Mainoo reportedly close to following suit.
And yet United’s hierarchy remain reluctant to commit. Reports suggest that at least one club official harbours doubts about Carrick’s credentials, and the club has pointedly not opened talks with any alternatives — largely because the market has narrowed. Thomas Tuchel has committed to England, Roberto de Zerbi has joined Tottenham, and figures like Julian Nagelsmann and Xabi Alonso are possibilities but remain unconfirmed. Wayne Rooney has been characteristically direct in his assessment: “100% he should get the job.” Michael Owen was similarly firm in his support.
The Solskjaer comparison lingers over this conversation in a way that is both understandable and, arguably, unfair. The concern that United might again appoint a club legend whose emotional resonance with fans outweighs his experience is legitimate in theory, but the evidence from Carrick’s three years at Middlesbrough — where he built a consistent, organised side using recognisable principles — suggests his coaching credentials are more substantive than mere sentiment.
With seven games remaining, United need four wins and a draw to secure Champions League football next season. If Carrick delivers that after inheriting a team that was heading nowhere under Amorim, the case for continuity becomes very hard to argue against. The smart money says the hierarchy will wait to see the outcome of the run-in before deciding — and by that point, sentiment, results and player opinion may all be pointing in one direction.
