Racking up 464 appearances for Manchester United, indisputably one of the biggest clubs in world football, is no mean feat. It was a 12 year stint that saw the player endear himself as a true Red Devils legend, whilst somehow going under-the-radar at the same time, but now Michael Carrick might be lined up for the biggest of stages.
It’s no secret that Manchester United are struggling under Erik ten Hag. They currently sit 14th in the Premier League with only two wins from their first seven matches, a period in which they’ve scored only five league goals. 0-3 defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspurs would surely have rubbed salt in the gaping wounds of the Old Trafford faithful.
With rumours of the Dutch manager’s potential sacking swirling across football media, names of who might take over the role are starting to emerge.
Despite being dubbed as ‘one of the hardest jobs in football’, is it really one that many could turn down?
One such name being thrown into the whirlwind of speculation is Michael Carrick’s. This is according to ‘journalist’ ‘Sam C’, who declared on X that Carrick is in the discussion a ‘potential caretaker’ manager.
According to ‘Sam C’, if the United board decide to relieve ten Hag of his duties, they make look for a caretaker manager to take them until the end of the season. This could be where Carrick fits in. Sam goes a step further to suggest he believes Carrick would be open to this idea too.
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Does Carrick to Old Trafford make sense?
His lengthy spell at United and legendary status would, you’d expect, mean fans would welcome their former midfielder with open arms.
But it’s his time in charge of Championship side Middlesbrough that might excite some.
Despite being 14th in the league for ‘Goals per match’ (with 1.1, which is better than United’s 0.7, according to FotMob), ‘Boro find themselves top of the expected goals table with 16.7. They also have had the most touches in the opposition’s box in the second tier, with 305, almost 50 more than second place Leeds United.
They are 21st for xG ‘conceded’, with 8.0, and 5th for ‘successful tackles per match’.
These stats suggest Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough side are an attacking side, that don’t concede too many – exactly what you’d expect Manchester United fans to be desperate for.
With a 50% win ratio across 98 games, it’s marginally worse than ten Hag’s 55.2. However, the Manchester United boss has lost 34 games, compared to Carrick’s 33. Considering ETH has managed his club on 27 more occasions, that stat is surprisingly similar.
It would seem that Carrick replacing ten Hag in the dugout at Old Trafford would potentially see an upturn in style of play, which Manchester United fans surely would want.