In The Mixer: Is Michael Carrick the best option for Manchester United?

In The Mixer is FST’s weekly column where we catch up with our team of football betting experts and get their opinion on the hot topic of the week.

Manchester United’s latest disaster has been the talking point recently, with Ruben Amorim’s departure being followed by a battle for the interim spot between Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

With Carrick set to land the job until the summer, we ask our panel of experts if he was a better choice than the Norwegian.

Phil Agius

If Carrick and Solskjaer are the best options United could come up with then they would really have been better sticking with Ruben Amorim.

After leaving United when they were in seventh place in the Premier League in 2021, Solskjaer did not land another managerial role until last January with Besiktas – and he was sacked by August.

Carrick will at least be a slightly fresher choice but he was fired by Championship club Middlesbrough in his last role and hasn’t found anything better since.

It would really be better for United if they looked outside the pool of their former players for even a short-term solution.

Rob Eddy

While there is the perceived target of a Champions League place, it would be unfair to blame Michael Carrick if United were unable to achieve that aim, having missed a pretty big window by failing to beat too many struggling teams.

Out of another cup and starting against Man City and Arsenal is not a strong position to be in, and even Sir Alex Ferguson may not turn this United around.

It’s a shot to nothing that could go both ways but whether Carrick is a better option than Solskjaer is in some way moot, the reality is United are nowhere near good enough. After last season, a top-half finish would be a bonus.

Jamie Griffith

Neither should get the job on a long-term basis but I’m surprised Michael Carrick has been preferred to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who led United to a runners-up finish in his last full season at the helm.

Despite multiple windows of big spending, Carrick’s possession-heavy tactics never really worked at Middlesbrough and led to consistent underachieving – something the Red Devils must be fed up with by now.

Solskjaer’s tactics are much more straightforward by comparison and would have offered some relief to a United squad bored of Ruben Amorim’s micromanaging and helped them salvage their season with a European finish.

Matthew Ireland

I’ve always subscribed to the adage that you should never go back and I didn’t see what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could have brought to the table that was any different to what he did in three years at the helm.

Michael Carrick doesn’t have the same baggage as the Norwegian and if it is a temporary appointment United are after then there is little downside to bringing in their former cultured midfielder.

I can’t see him getting the gig full-time, though. Indeed it would reflect just how far United’s stock has fallen if they did extend his stay beyond the summer.

However, a short-term solution is fine if United are waiting for Oliver Glasner’s contract to expire at Crystal Palace or to see if there is any fall-out from the World Cup, with international managers such as Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel potentially coming on to the market.

James Mason

No. I think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a better option than Michael Carrick. The Norwegian made an instant impact when he was placed in temporary charge of United in December 2018 and that is exactly what the Red Devils need again.

Solskjaer brought attacking, free-flowing football during his time in the Old Trafford dugout, releasing the shackles and allowing the players to express themselves, and I don’t think Carrick will bring that excitement.

United need entertainment from now until the summer in what has been a disappointing campaign, and Carrick just doesn’t appeal to me in that regard.

Aidan Perkins

I think it’s a good call to give Michael Carrick the chance to audition for the job on a permanent basis by being given the interim role.

Solskjaer had a three-year spell in charge between 2018-2021 and even though there were some good moments under the Norwegian, it rarely works out when a former manager goes back.

Carrick, who was unbeaten in three games during a previous caretaker stint at United at the end of 2021, built himself a solid reputation at Middlesbrough as a promising young coach and he deserves the chance to see if he can handle the Old Trafford hotseat now.

Jack Ogalbe

From Ole returning to the wheel to Carrick taking control, Manchester United continue to look muddled, and that’s the issue.

Club legends carping about ‘DNA’ also isn’t helping, especially as there’s no universal agreement on what that means and it looks like it’s forced the board into hiring someone with a history at Old Trafford.

Carrick was the stylish midfielder United has missed since his retirement, and did well as interim head coach in 2021, but his spell at Middlesbrough was frustrating; his players seemingly bogged down by a possession-heavy style.

Solskjaer simplified things, won his first eight games in charge, and the hierarchy didn’t know what to do. Appointing Ole permanently was positive PR, but it was always destined to end in tears.

With limited options, Carrick is a good fit for the job description scripted by those in the media. He is more tactically adept than Solskjaer, but may not be a long-term fix, so the club needs to decide who they want and not hang around hoping to stumble on a solution.

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