It’s official. Michael Carrick has been confirmed as Manchester United head coach after a successful period as interim coach from January 2026. After the sacking of Ruben Amorim on January 5th, United decided against going for another full-time manager, opting instead to back Carrick as the interim until the end of the season. The securing of Champions League football, an attractive playing style and several impressive results have led Sir Jim Radcliffe and the Glazer family to back Carrick to take the job on a full-time basis ahead of the 2026-2027 season.
Carrick’s deal is initially until June 2028, with the option for another year.
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Michael Carrick Officially Manchester United Head Coach
Managerial Background
Michael Carrick began his coaching career under Jose Mourinho and the current Ipswich manager, Keiran McKenna. After ‘The Special One’ was sacked, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as manager and Carrick stayed on as a coach.
Following the sacking of his former teammate, Carrick took over as caretaker manager, winning two and drawing once before stepping away and leaving the club altogether when Ralf Rangnick took over as interim manager.
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The ex-England midfielder then took over at a struggling Middlesbrough side who sat 21st in the Championship. Carrick did a fantastic job, gaining a play-off place with Boro, before losing in the semi-final to Coventry City.
His second season would see him help Middlesbrough to the EFL semi-final, however, he failed to secure play-off football. It was the same story in his third season at the Riverside, where, after a 10th place finish, Carrick was sacked.
This sacking freed him up to take over Manchester United on an interim basis, however, which ultimately led to him becoming the new head coach.
This season, Michael Carrick has boasted an impressive 66.7% winning ratio, beating teams such as Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool on his way. Finishing the season in the Champions League spots, as well as winning X of his last X games, secured his position going forward.
Who Else Was in the Conversation?
According to Ben Jacobs, Michael Carrick was one of four names being considered for the head coach role at Manchester United. Despite heavy rumours, Luiz Enrique was never in serious contention due to his intention to extend his contract at PSG until 2030.
The names that were being considered included Aston Villa boss, Unai Emery and Bouremouth boss, Andoni Iraola. The latter announced that he would be leaving The Cherries at the end of the season and is currently without a club.
The third and arguably most interesting name included in Manchester United’s considerations was England boss, Thomas Tuchel. With a history in the Premier League, as well as being a Champions League-winning manager, he fitted the mould Manchester United were after. With that being said, the former Chelsea boss signed a new England deal, keeping him with the national team until 2028.
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