Michael Carrick is poised to be confirmed as Manchester United’s interim head coach until the end of the season, and Bruno Fernandes has already experienced what it’s like to play under him
Michael Carrick is expected to be appointed as the next interim head coach of Manchester United until the end of the season. And based on his previous stint at the helm at Old Trafford, the incoming Red Devils boss won’t shy away from making tough calls.
United have been looking for a new head coach since Ruben Amorim was sacked last week following the 1-1 draw with Leeds United in the Premier League.
In the meantime, Darren Fletcher stepped up, overseeing a draw with Burnley in the Premier League and a defeat to Brighton in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
Carrick is now set to land the United job on an interim basis until the end of the season, having pipped fellow club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the job.
An agreement has been struck between United and Carrick, with the former Red Devils midfielder and Middlesbrough boss spotted arriving at the club’s Carrington training ground on Tuesday ahead of an official announcement.
This will be Carrick’s second spell as interim manager at United, having previously served as caretaker boss following Solskjaer’s exit in November 2021, which came before the appointment of Ralf Rangnick.
A report in The Times offers insight into Carrick’s previous spell at United, suggesting why the incoming Red Devils boss won’t hesitate to make some hard decisions.
Carrick took the reins for a Champions League match against Villarreal in his first stint in charge back in 2021, although he did relegate Bruno Fernandes to the bench due to the Portuguese international’s poor form at the time.
The 44-year-old’s previous tenure at United saw him manage three matches in total, including Premier League clashes with Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as the game against Villarreal.
During this period, Carrick only gave Juan Mata one substitute appearance. The aforementioned report suggests that Mata is a close friend of the incoming United boss from their playing days at Old Trafford.
Once Carrick is appointed, his first match at the helm would be this Saturday’s Manchester derby against rivals Manchester City in the Premier League.
With United having been eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season, they will now only have the Premier League to concentrate on for the rest of the term.
The weekend loss to Brighton means that United will have played just 40 matches across all competitions this season, marking the club’s lowest number of games in a single campaign since the 1914-15 season.