Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick (MDI, Shutterstock)

Carrick Becomes Interim Man United Boss After Amorim Departure

Former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has returned to the club as caretaker head coach. Carrick replaces Ruben Amorim, who was shown the door on 5th January after never gelling at the club. It’s the second time Carrick has been called upon by Manchester United to serve as a caretaker boss. The first was after the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjær in November 2021. That short reign lasted only three games (he won two and drew the other, for the record). This time around, he’s been lined up to stick around until the end of the season.

Manchester United are already out of both domestic cups and didn’t qualify for the European competitions. That means Carrick has one focus: the Premier League. As things stand, with all the top-flight sides having played 21 matches, the Red Devils are in seventh position on 32 points. The former Middlesbrough boss’s task is simple: get Man United back into the Champions League. But is that a realistic target for the misfiring side he’s inherited? And if Carrick does achieve that aim, could he land the head job on a permanent basis?

As always in the Premier League, a manager is judged on their team’s results. And Carrick would probably have preferred an easier opening game: Manchester City are the visitors to Old Trafford on Saturday, followed by current table-toppers Arsenal the following Saturday. Of course, if Carrick gets a couple of positive results – and decent performances – from those two, he would be nicely set up for a potentially bumper February in terms of points. Although there are no “easy games” in the top flight, February’s fixtures list looks decidedly kinder than the opening two matches, with Fulham at home, Spurs at home, West Ham away, Everton away, and Crystal Palace (who just lost in the FA Cup to Macclesfield!) at home.

Is Carrick the Right Man to Guide United to the Champions League?


We will be in a position to answer that question on 24th May! On the face of it, though, the appointment of Carrick seems a relatively wise one on certain levels. Firstly, he knows the club inside out and is likely to buy into the overall ethos of the owners, as well as the Director of Football, Jason Wilcox. Secondly, as essentially a club legend, it’s likely the players and fans will warm to Carrick, or at the very least give him a little time to prove himself. Thirdly, he is bringing some excellent support staff, not least Gareth Southgate’s former right-hand man for England, Steve Holland, as well as Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion.

Whether Carrick can put himself in the frame to be considered as a permanent manager remains to be seen. But as a caretaker option, he ticks plenty of boxes and shouldn’t upset the applecart (i.e. the owners). Let’s take a look back at his only permanent managerial position to get a greater insight into whether he’ll be a success at United.

How Did Carrick Perform as Middlesbrough Boss?


Looking at the raw stats, Carrick was in charge of Middlesbrough from 24th October 2022 until 4th June 2025, during which time he presided over 136 games, winning 63, drawing 24, and losing 49. His win percentage of 46.32% is significantly better than Amorim achieved at Man United (38.10%), but then the Portuguese coach had win rates of above 70% at both Sporting and Braga.

For Carrick at Middlesbrough, the win rate doesn’t tell the whole story. At the time he took the job, the club were languishing in 21st position in the Championship, just a single point above the drop zone. Although Carrick lost his first game in charge, he won 16 of his first 23 in the dugout. He earned the Championship Manager of the Month award in March 2023, and it looked like football had found a fine new English manager on whom to pin hopes and dreams for the future. Middlesbrough finished in fourth place that season, a massive achievement given where they were when Carrick took over. Unfortunately, they lost in the play-off semis (to Coventry).

An eighth-place finish followed in 2023/24 after winning 20 of their 46 league games, although the club did make it to the League Cup semis (though they lost to Chelsea). Unfortunately, Carrick couldn’t progress with the side in 2024/25, when they finished 10th, and he was subsequently sacked. It’s hard to draw too many conclusions about Carrick’s time at Middlesbrough in the notoriously competitive Championship. He certainly showed himself to be a very competent coach and was, for the most part, liked and respected by players and fans alike. The fact that he wasn’t able to bring sustained success to the club is probably the reason Man United hedged their bets by offering him a short-term contract. Of course, had Carrick guided Middlesbrough to the top flight, they wouldn’t have sacked him anyway.

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