Michael Carrick backed to manage Man Utd’s rivals once Red Devils snub boss | Football | Sport
Michael Carrick is considered unlikely to get the Man Utd job permanently (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has suggested that the club’s previous experience with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will make them hesitant to offer Michael Carrick the permanent manager’s role, despite his impressive start in charge. And the iconic former midfielder has been tipped to take the Tottenham job in future instead. Carrick, who was part of Solskjaer’s coaching team, returned to Old Trafford this month on a contract until the end of the season following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim.
The ex-Middlesbrough boss, who left the Championship side by mutual consent over the summer, has hit the ground running, securing victories against Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two matches at the helm. The dramatic upturn in both performances and results under Carrick has already fuelled rumours that he could be a strong contender for the managerial position on a long-term basis.
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However, Scholes believes that United may still be “scarred” by their decision to give Solskjaer the permanent job after a successful interim period, which could potentially affect Carrick’s chances of a similar promotion.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Scholes said: “He’s come into the job now and it’s been that bad for a year that it couldn’t really get any worse so the pressure isn’t really on you while you’re interim manager. Once you take that job full-time, at the start of the season next year, let’s say, all of a sudden you’ve got to be winning games straightaway.
“They will be scarred a little bit from the Ole [Gunnar Solksjaer] thing. If the Ole thing hadn’t have happened then it would probably be more likely.
“But if Michael has got to go up against, say, Thomas Tuchel in the summer then there’s only one winner if you’re looking at coaching big clubs and winning big prizes so you can’t really compete with that.”
Michael Carrick has managed two wins from two in his current Man Utd stint (Image: Getty)
Nicky Butt echoed these sentiments and believes Carrick will recognise his chances of landing the United position on a permanent basis remain slim. “I think Michael is that bright and intelligent, he’ll understand the job that he’s got,” Butt added.
“I can’t ever imagine Michael going on the TV… maybe his last game if he’s third or something like that… but up until then, he knows he’s got a contract until the end of the season to get the club moving forward in the right direction for the next manager.
“He’ll know that and I know Michael well, he won’t be out there, he’s not stupid enough to say, ‘Yeah, I want the job’, because that’s not what he signed up to.
“His next job, if he wants to stay in football as a manager for another club, would be a good job if he does well here.”
Scholes proceeded to suggest the prospect of Carrick potentially managing another of his previous clubs, Tottenham Hotspur, remarking: “It could be like a Tottenham manager from this [for Carrick]. It wouldn’t surprise me.”
Before his transfer to United in 2006, Carrick wore the Spurs shirt, making 75 appearances for the north London outfit following his move from West Ham United.
Speculation has emerged linking Spurs with a potential managerial change following Thomas Frank’s challenging opening period. While their Champions League campaign has shown promise, Tottenham languish in 14th position in the Premier League standings.
