Key Takeaways
- Michael Carrick insists he will not copy the short-term style many coaches now use.
- Twenty bosses have lost their jobs in England since Carrick returned to Old Trafford 100 days ago.
- The interim coach says Champions League football is the target and he is relaxed about his own future.
Michael Carrick is refusing to let the quick sack culture in English football change the way he leads Manchester United.
Figures show the average manager in the top four divisions lasts under two years. Only 20 of the 92 league coaches have stayed longer than the two years and eight months Carrick spent at Middlesbrough.
Since the 44-year-old came back to United on 13 January, 20 new managers have been hired. League Two side Barrow have already changed coach twice in that spell. Chelsea also parted with Liam Rosenior last week, just days after United beat them in the league.
Despite the chaos around him, Carrick says he will keep planning for the long haul. “Results now matter, but you must also shape what comes next,” he told reporters. “I choose to see the glass half-full. I think about what we can win, not what might go wrong.”
United’s big aim this season is a top-five finish. Victory over Brentford on Monday would leave them needing just two points from the last four matches to secure Champions League football after a two-year gap.
Once the season ends, the board will decide if Carrick keeps the role full-time. Fans believe the team’s improvement since Ruben Amorim was dismissed shows he deserves the job, yet Carrick is not pushing for quick answers. “I’m not chasing a deadline,” he said. “When the time is right, everyone will know.”
Some critics recall Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s interim spell that ended in a permanent deal but later turned sour. Carrick, who served on Solskjaer’s staff, says the comparison is pointless. “Ole is a friend and I respect him, but this is a different squad and a different moment,” he explained. “Past stories don’t decide tomorrow.”