A former player is returning Manchester United The comparisons between Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s caretaker appointments in 2018 and Michael Carrick eight years later are obvious – to steady the ship after a roller-coaster ride under a Portuguese coach.
It probably won’t end here. Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho and has done enough to win the job permanently, while Carrick has taken the reins from Ruben Amorim.
Carrick then started his tenure with an impressive win Manchester City And armoryThere is talk among excited supporters that United may already have the right man in the dugout. These days there is a new hierarchy with different voices taking big decisions. Still, it’s hard to avoid the parallels between Solskjær and Carrick.
United have been tempted to promote a caretaker once before, and continued success from now until the end of the season will strengthen Carrick’s case for that to happen again.
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From stopgap to main man
Sources involved in Solskjær’s hiring told ESPN in December 2018 that the Norwegian was considered a “stopgap” when Mourinho was sacked. The plan was to buy time.
Laurent Blanc, who had worked briefly as a player at Old Trafford, was the second name considered to take the position temporarily, but there was a feeling internally that it came down to bigger jobs. France And Paris Saint Germain Made it seem like a long term appointment waiting in the wings.
Solskjær was seen as a safe bet. he had a job in Molde Rewind to the summer of 2019 when United’s recruitment process to find a new manager was about to reach its natural end. Solskjær – who had Carrick on his staff – was not initially considered a leading contender for the permanent job but, according to sources, was described by United officials as having “option value” and was not ruled out outright.
Carrick is also in a similar boat. At the time of his appointment, United sources told ESPN it would be something “extraordinary” for the former England The midfielder will get the job permanently and when the time is right the focus will turn to external candidates.
The key message was that it was “highly unlikely” that the Solskjær situation would be repeated. Carrick – like Solskjær – has left the door open when asked about his future. He might argue that nothing could be more extraordinary than winning the manchester derby Against one of the world’s greatest managers ever, Pep Guardiola, and suffered their first home league defeat of the season Premier League Leader.
going back to basics
Solskjær won his first eight games in charge, with United scoring 22 goals in the process. Sources tell ESPN it wasn’t just the results that won over bosses, but the manner in which they were achieved.
According to one source, Mourinho’s pragmatic style was gone and replaced by an “attacking instinct, risk-taking and first-time forward passes”. Carrick has also been more adventurous than Amorim in his early games, especially in the emirates When he made offensive substitutions with the game underway in the second half.
With Solskjær, there was a feeling at the time that he was helping to recover something that had been lost under Mourinho. A source told ESPN that he had “a real explanation about what United needs to do to be Manchester United again. It was like talking to Sir Alex Ferguson.”
Before Mourinho was sacked, there were concerns among officials about comments he made about some of his team’s players during the US tour last summer. Then it was seen as the beginning of the end.
Similarly with Amorim, the club owner was not impressed by the comments benjamin cesco And patrick dorgue. He said that Cesko was “struggling” and that he was “worried” whenever Dorgu touched the ball.
It’s worth noting that Carrick has kept his news conferences short. they were given a chance to criticize diogo dalot Following a poor individual performance against City, however, rather than agree – as Amorim would have done – Carrick chose to defend him.
The way Solskjær handles the media has earned him support and Carrick is also saying all the right things.
ideas outside the field
It wasn’t just on the pitch where Solskjær impressed. When Mourinho read reports that United wanted to appoint a director of football, he angrily approached then-executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and said: “Tell me it’s not true.”
The club’s long-time aim was to modernize the structure, but it felt as if that could not happen with Mourinho at the helm. According to one source, Solskjær was more open-minded and considered himself a “hands-on” person rather than a dictator.
With Solskjær in charge, United were able to appoint their first director of football and technical director in March 2021. A source told ESPN that it was “easier to move on” without Mourinho in charge.
There will be similar thoughts this time too. Amorim eventually rebelled against the club’s structure, and his tumultuous disagreements with director of football Jason Wilcox contributed to his departure.
But rather than amend the distribution of authority in the wake of Amorim’s dismissal, United are doubling down and insisting the next permanent manager must accept his place in the decision-making process.
Other outside candidates such as Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi have shown in the past that they can be very demanding, especially when it comes to recruitment. Given how the relationship with Amorim ended, you can understand why a more polite, affable character like Carrick would appeal to Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada.
Is history repeating itself?
In the end, above everything else, results are what matter most. Solskjær won 14 of his 19 games as caretaker and was appointed permanent boss in March 2019.
“Since coming over as caretaker manager in December, the results Ole has produced speak for themselves,” Woodward said at the time.
Sources have told ESPN that “there was no decisive moment” when owners decided Solskjær was the right man. It helped that in January 2019, Solskjær took his team to Tottenham – managed by Mauricio Pochettino, the leading outside candidate for the United job – and won 1–0.
A source said, “We talked about doing a procedure, but it turned out we didn’t need one. He showed the right things from the beginning, on and off the field.”
United, as things stand, are still planning to press ahead with their search. He has talked about waiting for the manager who is currently preparing world cup — Someone like Tuchel, Pochettino, Carlo Ancelotti or Julian Nagelsmann.
Those with Premier League experience like Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva and Oliver Glasner are also contenders. One thing Wilcox and Berrada are looking for in particular is the ability to handle the pressure that comes with managing United, especially because a key part of the job is teaching the players to do the same.
It seemed like it was too much for Amorim and United didn’t want to make the same mistake again. It’s one of the things that set Solskjær apart in 2019. It could do the same for Carrick.
Both learned to deal with the intense spotlight and unparalleled scrutiny at Old Trafford as players, each winning multiple league titles and uefa champions league. They’ve both been there, seen it and done it.
Until now, United have been keen to distance themselves from suggestions that history could repeat itself. A few more good results and the noise may be impossible to ignore.
