Michael Carrick is close to being appointed Manchester United’s head coach on a permanent basis, with the club offering him a two-year contract plus an option for a further 12 months. The deal could be wrapped up before United face Nottingham Forest on Sunday lunchtime, turning an interim spell that began in uncertainty into a long-term job.
That would be a sharp change from the moment Ruben Amorim was sacked, when United sat sixth and their season looked stuck in place. Carrick has since overseen 10 wins in 15 Premier League matches in interim charge, and by Friday United were third with two games remaining, six points above Liverpool and already back in the Champions League.
Carrick said on Friday that his future would become clear pretty soon, and he was even more direct about the state of play around him: there is not much left to say with two games to go. The numbers around his spell are the clearest argument for keeping him. United have taken the field more calmly, found results more regularly and done the one thing that always changes the mood at Old Trafford — moved up the table and into Europe’s top competition again.
His own words also point to why the club is leaning his way. Carrick described the situation as clear and said the task of preparing for the game has not changed, even if the stakes around his job have. He called United a unique and special club, said he was immensely proud to have come back as both a supporter and former player, and added that helping the team make a big step back into the Champions League felt important. He also underlined what the supporters have meant during the last four months, saying that connection has been felt by the players too. A report on the club’s move to make him permanent is available here: Man United close to naming Michael Carrick on permanent deal and Manchester United Michael Carrick set for push as permanent boss.
The timing matters because United want clarity going into a busy summer, and Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox both want Carrick to stay on. He will address supporters after Sunday’s match regardless of whether the contract has been signed, giving the club a first public chance to hear from the man who took over after Amorim’s exit and steadied the season.
United’s squad will also get a small boost. Casemiro has recovered from the injury that ruled him out at Sunderland, while Matthijs de Ligt has undergone back surgery to solve a problem that has kept him out since November. De Ligt is due to return early next season. For Carrick, the footballing case is now obvious: he has delivered results, restored Champions League football and, for the moment, made the argument for continuity stronger than the argument for change.
