Michael Carrick has agreed a two-year deal to remain Manchester United head coach.
The final legal details are now being sorted and the club are hopeful of an announcement in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Good or bad idea?
From my point of view it feels like the only logical option at this stage. United have been through every type of manager since Ferguson left, and none of them have really solved the bigger problem. We’ve had the name, the profile, the short-term bounce, the tactical specialist, and the so-called rebuild guy, but the end result has still been the same mix of inconsistency, poor recruitment, and a squad that never quite looks balanced.
Say what you like, but he can’t do much worse than Amorim, who had us sitting in 15th last year and hovering just above a relegation battle. That was a brutal place for a club like United to be in, and it showed how fragile the whole setup was. Carrick came in, steadied things, and got a response out of the players when the pressure was at its worst. He took a team that was underperforming and under serious pressure and has them beating the top contenders and sitting in a much better position for Europe next year. By any reasonable measure, that’s a successful stint.
It’s also not like there are loads of obvious alternatives waiting around. It’s a top club and a top job, but everyone knows the situation behind the scenes is messy. There are major issues at board level, there are financial limits, and the rebuild isn’t just about the manager — it’s about fixing a lot of things all at once. That makes the job harder to sell to elite coaches who have other options and want a cleaner project.
- Iraola
- Nagelsmann
- Emery
- Glasner
- De Zerbi
A lot of those names are either unrealistic, already tied up, or not exactly flying in their current roles. Emery is the one obvious exception because he’s proven, experienced, and has shown he can improve a side quickly when he walks into a new environment. But he’s firmly settled at Villa and never really looked like a genuine runner for the United job anyway. The others are interesting in theory, but there’s a difference between being a fashionable name and being the right fit for a club in this kind of state.
So if the shortlist is thin and the market isn’t exactly overflowing with world-class candidates, it becomes easier to stick with Carrick. He already has the players on side, and just as importantly, he’s got the fans with him too. That matters more than people sometimes admit. At a club like United, dressing-room buy-in and supporter trust can buy you a lot of time and stability. That’s half the battle before a ball is even kicked.
The real question now is who he brings in for next year. Losing Casemiro is a big blow because it leaves a hole in the midfield and takes a lot of experience out of the dressing room as well. Whether people think he’s past his best or not, he’s still the kind of presence that helps in a squad that’s trying to find some control and authority.
There are too many average players on the books and that has to change. Next season is going to be busier, the demands are going to be higher, and the squad needs to be deeper if United are serious about competing on multiple fronts. You can’t go into a bigger season with the same thin core and hope everything just works out.
Whatever you think about Amorim and his team selection, he did recruit well last year by bringing in Sesko, Lammens, Cunha and Mbueno, all of whom have settled into the first team nicely. That’s the kind of business United need to keep doing: identifying players who can contribute straight away, not just names that sound exciting on paper. The squad needs more balance, more energy, and more players who can handle the level without needing a full season to adapt.
For next year, the priorities are pretty clear. A good left back, a center back, a defensive midfielder and another striker all need to be on the list. Those are the spine pieces that make a team easier to manage and much harder to break down. There are some interesting players in the youth squad who can help fill out the group, but the quality and experience has to be bought in too. And this time, the deals need to be done early, not dragged out until the last minute when the market has already moved on and the club is scrambling again.