Michael Carrick: The case for the prosecution

We are now coming towards the end of Michael Carrick's time on trial at Manchester United.

For that is what these last four months have been. Ever since January, Carrick has faced the jury as he presents his case to be the next Manchester United manager. 
It will soon be time to study the evidence and then that jury will make their decision. A decision which will set the course of the next few years and take United into a new era. 

Imagine this interim period like a court case. We have heard from the defence. They have given their reasons as to why he should stay on. Carrick himself has shown what he can do. Now it is the turn of the prosecution to take to the witness box. They will put forward their case as to why Carrick should not get the job despite his body of work at United. 

Here, we take a look at the counter-argument: why Carrick should not take charge beyond this season. 

The style

Carrick's United welcomed Brentford to Old Trafford on Monday night. The first twelve minutes were probably the best we have seen from the Reds since his first game in charge against City. United forced four corners in the opening moments, Sepp van den Berg cleared off the line and the Reds had Brentford pinned back and unable to get out.
But after Casemiro's eleventh minute goal, this was a familiar pattern. The Bees took control and - were it not for the heroics of Senne Lammens - should have been 2 or 3-1 ahead a half-time. United's shape and structure subsided and we were forced to hold on for the win. 
Carrick, to his credit, rectified the issue by making a tactical switch to a back five with Nouss Mazraoui as a third centre-back. He wanted to solidify it, and it worked in disrupting the flow of the game and stopping Brentford cutting through us. 
It worked, but - once more - United did just enough for victory. Just as we did against the ten men of Crystal Palace, just as we clung on at Everton and at Chelsea. True, just enough will be enough. It will get us to where we need to get to. But surely no further that that. 

Will the manner of the performances come into the thinking of Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and co? Or will they just look at the results? Think of the acronym 'PVR' - Performance. Vision. Result. Whilst the third is the most important, especially at this time of the season, Carrick has to show the other two as well. In my view, he has not yet demonstrated anything to show how he would have us playing in the long term. We have to have something to buy into. 

This level of performance is not sustainable - if this is what a Carrick-led United future looks like, I don't want it. It is basic, predictable and quite boring. It's too nervy, too edgy, too white knuckle ride. Winning when not playing well is a fine trait to have but catches up with you eventually. 
We are not going to get anywhere in keep-it-simple survival mode. Four months in, and there is no discernible pattern of play. Of course, it is possible Carrick is just doing the bare minimum to get the results we need. It might simply be a means to an end. A 'just do what it takes to get what you need' situation. But we cannot play like this in the Champions League next season. 

Carrick's (lack of) experience 

Now we come to that age old paradox. The fresh out of college student needing a job to gain experience, but the employer wanting you to have three years worth of experience before considering you for said job. It is similar for Carrick. He is learning on the job, a young manager with no Premier League experience save for his brief experience as a caretaker the first time round in 2021. 
United is no place for a learner driver. You only have to look at Chelsea to see how quickly these mighty behemoths can swallow up even the most promising of managerial talents - Liam Rosenior falling by the wayside 109 days into a six-year tenure. Rosenior is clearly a good coach but never stood a chance amids the chaos in west London. 
Carrick is under no pressure at the moment. The job was a free hit when he came in and there was no pressure or expectation. That will not be the case in 2026/27. Carrick will be thrust into a transfer window, he will be set long-term targets and will be expected to compete with some of the biggest clubs on the continent. Everything he says and does will be forensically analysed x 10. 

For a guy whose only previous managerial job was at Middlesbrough in the Championship, the step up will be enormous and daunting. 

Player regression 

It has been United's veteran old stagers - thirty somethings Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire - whom have shone brightest under Carrick. Players who have been here before, and know what's needed at this level. These three players have been influential, leading United's charge towards the promised land of the Champions League. All three are experienced, quality leaders and they have done more than most to get us to this position. That is not to discard the efforts of others, but certainly that triumvirate have been big players at big moments. 
With the exception of the excellent Senne Lammens, United's newest recruits have either regressed, or plateaud, under Carrick. 

Bryan Mbeumo came in over the summer to much acclaim - United had acquired one of the best players, and finishers, in the Premier League. He has had a good season and there is no doubting his ability but he has not scored for nine games, since the 2-0 defeat of Spurs in February. Mbeumo has gone off the boil and looks a shadow of the player we saw over Christmas and ino the early months of 2026.
Amad's struggles continued as he was withdrawn at the interval against Brentford having endured another poor 45 minutes. He snatched at a gilt-edged opening set up by Kobbie Mainoo - which would have been goal of the season - and seemed to run into traffic at every turn. He did, however, play a role in Benjamin Sesko's match clinching goal when he started the move on the edge of our own penalty area. Amad was one of the only United players who emerged from last term with credit, with 11 goals and ten assists to his name. This term, he has two and three respectively.
Matheus Cunha may have scored the winner at Chelsea but he is another whose influence on this side has gradually waned. A player always capable of moments such as that goal at the Bridge, he has become wasteful, looks slower and at times seems unsure of his role. 

The managerial market

There are a number of in-demand managers on the market in the summer. Luis Enrique's future at PSG is still up in the air, Andoni Iraola is highly sought after, and Xabi Alonso is also available. So too Xavi and Oliver Glasner. Unai Emery may leave Villa should they win the Europa League. Can Julian Nagelsmann be tempted away from Germany after the World Cup? Iraola seems odds-on to go to his former side in the Basque country, Athletic Club, but his predecessor there, Ernesto Valverde, has been linked with United in the past. Valverde has managed at the highest level and Omar Berrada is a known admirer. Could they opt for someone like him instead? 

United run the risk of appointing Carrick and missing out on the managerial merry go round as other clubs swoop for these out-of-work bosses. 

But this time, unlike in previous years, there is no obvious no.1 candidate. Enrique would be the choice of many fans but even if he leaves PSG, his wage demands would be mad. United would be in a very long secure to secure the services of the Spaniard. Which path will INEOS decide to walk down, if they haven't already picked their man? If they do truly want the 'best in class' then you move heaven and earth to get Enrique. 

Michael Carrick: The case for the defence

When Michael Carrick came in to guide HMS Manchester United into calmer waters he had one job. 

It's a job that is now almost done. Mission nearly complete. United will be back in the Champions League next season - a quite extraordinary turnaround for a team that finished 15th last season. Sixth when Ruben Amorim was sacked five days in 2026 after letting rip in his post-Leeds interview, the promised land of Europe's elite seemed merely a pipedream. Three months on, and the Reds are odds on for a third placed finish in the Premier League. 

Mission accomplished for Manchester United 

Make no mistake: Carrick has done a fantastic job in interim charge, picking up 29 points from a possible 39. Draws at West Ham and Bournemouth and defeats to Newcastle and Leeds are the only blots on his copybook. Otherwise it has been wins all the way: Carrick has kept it simple, utilised his side's strengths and has been rewarded by a group of players who have more belief, clarity and confidence in themselves. The players like him, the players respect him and he has everyone pulling in the same direction. Us fans have enjoyed the ride, too. 

United's powers-that-be will soon have a big decision to make when it comes to the man in the Old Trafford dugout. Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, watching from on high on Monday, will no doubt be pleased their mid-season decision looks to have paid off.

Mathematically, United need two points from Liverpool, Sunderland, Forest and Brighton to make certain. In reality, we are there and it could be sealed without kicking a ball if the Seagulls fail to beat Newcastle on Saturday. 

Better the devil you know? 

Carrick will be difficult to ignore when it comes to that decision: so much so, that getting rid of him is seen as a riskier option.

On the other hand, if we stick with him and it goes wrong next season, INEOS and co, will be derided for following the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer model. That said, the affable Norwegian remains the only post-Ferguson United manager to secure successive top three finishes. 

What if Carrick is replaced by a more experienced manager who can't adapt to the rigours of one of the biggest jobs in world football? Then you're accused of trying to fix something that was never broken.

Based purely on the results he's overseen since he took charge in January, Carrick has to be firmly at the forefront. Expected to finish in the bottom half of the table, initial big game wins over City and Arsenal came with a caveat: this was a film we had seen before. Even under Amorim, our record in games like those were good - a case of United elevating their level and going toe-to-toe with our traditional rivals, raising our game for the big occasion. 

But this has been more than merely new manager bounce: Carrick has nine wins in 13 games to climb to third place in the Premier League: had he come in earlier we'd be challenging for the title.

Carrick has done all he possibly can to get the permanent position. Now, is it up to Berrada and co. 

The decision is not made easier by the knowledge PSG are confident the standout candidate in the market, Luis Enrique, will sign a new deal. Even if he doesn't, he will be very expensive. Julian Nagelsmann's contract does not expire until 2028 and Andoni Iraola is admired. Much like Thomas Frank, who has been linked with United in the past, managing a small, progressive Premier League side is a world away to dealing with one of the biggest. 

No one knew what results Carrick would deliver when he was asked to take over until the end of the season. However, one thing the Reds powerbrokers were certain about was he wouldn't be swamped by the sheer size and scale of the Man Utd behemoth - having already played for us and his four games as caretaker in 2021. 

Results not in question...but concerns remain

Whilst you cannot argue with Carrick's record since he took over, there are legitimate concerns too. 

The style of play hasn't been good, with United having to grind out a string of ugly, single goal wins. We didn't play well against Everton and Chelsea or at times against Brentford. United laboured against Crystal Palace before Maxime Lacroix's red card. Fulham were only seen off in the 92nd minute. Leeds played us off the park, United only improved upon the injustice of a red card, Alex Scott ran through the midfield for Bournemouth in March. The football is fragmented, still sometimes frantic but at times piecemeal. But, on the other side of the coin, it is common sense, streetwise and is working. The ship is still watertight although holes are beginning to appear. 

Of course, results are the most important currency at this stage of the season. In the immediate, no one will really care how the destination is reached. But, long term at least, there has to be substance too. United are still too easily bypassed in midfield, don't control games well and give up too many chances. United won't get away with that at Champions League level. 
That is something Carrick, or whoever it is in charge, will need to work on going forward. 

It comes down to personnel. Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo are very good on the ball and at getting United moving. But off the ball, they are too slow and don't press aggressively. Carrick has acknowledged his squad's strengths - box defending, counter-attacking and set pieces - and utilised that effectively. That is good management: maximising what your team are good at and setting up to suit, whilst at the same time understanding its limits. The wingers do not tuck in and full-backs do not push on. United are still too narrow and don't progress the ball through areas that well. 

It's common knowledge United's midfield is in need of an overhaul so with that, we hope, will come evolution to a new style. 

For me personally: I think we thank Carrick for his time in charge, agree an amicable parting of ways in the summer and do all we can to get Enrique. Carrick is not the man for us: he has no experience, his style of play is basic and he's never managed in the Champions League before. We don't want another Liam Rosenior. Old Trafford is no place for a learner driver. 

A huge summer awaits for Manchester United with big calls to make over both player and manager recruitment. 

The PGMOL are corrupt and poisonous weasels (ANGRY RANT!)

I have had enough of this corrupt, rancid organisation at the top of the game in England. It's time to unite and get rid of the PGMOL for bringing our game, our beautiful game, into disrepute.

I am done with these putrid, lying, corrupt, poisonous, parasitic weasels who all paid for and pre-planned this months ago. It is now abundantly clear: the PGMOL, the FA and the Premier League do not want little old Manchester United anywhere near the Champions League. It might be for money, to appease fans, or because it's not what they sat down and agreed months ago, or because we had the nerve to question them. But whatever the reason, they are going to keep f*****g us over until we finish sixth. Then they will all get together and w**k each other off. 

They may as well come out and tell the world as it's very very obvious it's what they're foaming at the mouth for. 

I don't want to keep talking about referees but we can't just stay silent, we have to topple this dictatorship and start anew. We have to take action and unite to end this criminality. 

They are shitting themselves at the thought of us playing in it next year so have been told to make up any old bollocks to get what they're presumably very well rewarded for. No other team gets treated like this - it is disgusting, it is an absolute disgrace, a bloody disgrace and needs to be called out. All fans of football should join together to banish these w*****s from the game. Get in a new pool of referees from abroad without bias, without collusion and who actually know their arses from their elbows.

You only have to look at the state of things in our last two games. We had the non-award of a blatant penalty on Amad at Bournemouth  (voted 5-0 in favour of a correct decision as well btw) - which led directly to the Cherries first equaliser. A decision every other team in the Premier League would get in their favour. But it's Man Utd and they have a different set of laws to screw us over. It's been common knowledge for years. 

Then came two red cards I have never seen any other player get sent off for - Harry Maguire for a supposed DOGSO when there was no contact and Lisandro Martinez for jumping for a header. To add insult to injury, Magure has been given an extra game ban for something no one heard him say whilst little pet Rodri called the referee a cheat and nothing was done. 

They waited as long as possible to ban Maguire to make sure we go into a massive match underprepared and in limbo. Exactly as arranged, exactly as they wanted. 

Only those clubs who say and do everything the PGMOL want are allowed into the upper echelons of the game at home and in Europe. 

United are set to appeal the latter, and it's worth a try, but you just know it will be upheld because all the cutesy, pally little PGMOL minions can't possibly accept their buddy pals are ever wrong. Yet DCL can smash Martinez around the face and get away with it. 
They will probably slap an extra game on for having the audacity to challenge them. 

Do nothing to give these p****s the satisfaction they get from making our lives a misery. No media, no referee handshakes, no mementoes, no 'Respect' campaign. Ban them from Old Trafford and threaten legal action, even to withdraw from the league if this carries on, Fuck the Premier League, fuck the FA, fuck the PGMOL fuck all of them. I never want you anywhere near our club again. All corrupt, all pre-planned, all fixed, all bollocks. Howard Webb, get to f**k. 

Make no mistake, United weren't good enough against Leeds. I don't think anyone can deny that. But the fact of the matter is, we had yet another major game-changing decision go against us. If that's what's classed as violent conduct now, football is finished. Completely finished. 

I'm sick of 115 being able to say and do whatever they want without punishment. I'm sick of Liverpool existing, I'm sick of all the backhanders, all the mates rates, the rules changing every week to suit their agendas. I'm sick of the protection of their own, of clubs not being able to call them out for fear of the poor little mites being upset by the hurty words. I'm sick of their cosy little favourites getting everything they want. I'm sick of the lack of accountability. I'm sick of them blaming everyone else for their incompetence. I'm sick of how untouchable and arrogant these p***s are.  I'm sick of 'Tayls' and 'Kavs' and 'Ols' and 'Suts'. I genuinely believe all these PGMOL officials were secretly hired by Manchester City to bring down United. I'm sick of our players getting singled out, victimised and made an example of in the name of greed, money and match fixing. 

What minute has it been planned for that poisonous weasel Michael Oliver to send off Casemiro on Saturday? You can bet he's foaming at the mouth to get his slimy mitts on a few brown envelopes from his paymasters in the Middle East.

At Bournemouth it was Stuart Attwell, against Leeds it was Paul Tierney. It'll be that Oliver this week and some other fraud next time. 

What better way to stuff this corruption down their throats than by rising above it and proving the old adage is as true as ever - cheats never prosper.