ShareMichael Carrick has made himself a genuine candidate for the Manchester United managerial position beyond the end of the season.By Graham RuthvenAs a safe pair of hands, Michael Carrick has been the antidote to everything Manchester United suffered from under Ruben Amorim. He has simplified things. Players are being used in their natural positions. The former midfielder has helped to put United’s season back on track with Champions League qualification now likely.Initially hired to keep the seat warm until Manchester United could make a permanent appointment this summer, Carrick must be taken seriously as a candidate in his own right. If the 44-year-old has fixed many of the Old Trafford outfit’s problems, why would they risk breaking everything again by hiring someone else?There’s no doubt many of the names linked with the United job have better managerial records than Carrick. Julian Nagelsmann, for example, is a Bundesliga-winning coach. He could be a World Cup-winning coach by the time he finishes his stint as Germany national team boss this summer.Mauricio Pochettino has managed some of the biggest clubs, and best players, in the world. The Argentine is another candidate who could be available after the 2026 World Cup with Pochettino currently in charge of the USA national team. There’s good reason to believe he would be successful at Old Trafford.Nothing is certain, though. Amorim was widely considered one of the best young coaches in Europe before he took the Manchester United job. In one of the sport’s most demanding environments, though, he floundered. Is the C.V of a prospective manager worth more than the actual evidence of being a good fit for the job Carrick is currently providing?Carrick has managed Manchester United like he played for them. He hasn’t complicated matters. Carrick has untangled the convoluted dogmatism of the Amorim era, adopting an uncomplicated 4-2-3-1 formation that appears to suit the group of players he inherited from his predecessor.Several of United’s squad have found new levels in their individual performances, highlighting Carrick’s man-management skills. Is anyone in the Premier League playing better football than Bruno Fernandes is at this moment in time? Now operating in his favoured number 10 role again, the 31-year-old is a formidable creative force.Under Amorim, Benjamin Šeško struggled for any sort of consistency. With Carrick at the helm, though, the £74m striker has scored five goals in his last seven games including winners against Fulham, Everton and Crystal Palace. His goals have been worth seven points on their own.Šeško’s shot map in the Premier League this seasonCasemiro has looked more like the Casemiro of old while Kobbie Mainoo has been reintegrated after Amorim froze him out of the first team. Mainoo still has flaws to his game, but his mobility and willingness to rotate possession has given Manchester United some much-needed connective tissue in the centre of the pitch. His return has also been timely for his career, given he has just received a recall to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming international break.On and off the field, Carrick has taken the job of being United manager in his stride. While Amorim frequently caused problems for himself by making ill-advised comments to the media, Carrick has barely said anything of note since taking over. When Paul Scholes’ Instagram posts could have created a distraction, the United interim manager brushed off the controversy with ease.At the time, the loss to 10-man Newcastle United at St James’ Park was a big blow. However, it gave Carrick and his team the opportunity to show they could bounce back from adversity, which they did by dismantling Aston Villa on Sunday to take another important step towards a top-five finish.United’s results under Carrick have been better than their performances. The 1-0 win over Everton last month was somewhat fortunate as was the 2-1 home victory against Crystal Palace when an opposition red card gave Manchester United an advantage they possibly didn’t deserve.Nonetheless, Carrick has undeniably made a positive impact over the last two months, His United team is playing well and Champions League qualification would give the club a platform to strengthen further ahead of next season. For the first time in a long while, the Old Trafford outfit is moving in the right direction.“This place means a lot to me, so to have so much positivity, with everyone enjoying coming to the games and obviously for me to have an influence on that, of course it feels good, I’m not going to lie,” said Carrick when asked about his impact as interim manager. “The players have to take a lot of credit for that in terms of what they put on the pitch.”The Champions League picture with eight games to playManchester United have a big decision to make. Two months ago, the idea of appointing Carrick permanently was farfetched. It would have been criticised as being unambitious. Now, the former midfielder is making a strong case for his continued employment. If it ain’t broke, don’t hire another manager.(Images from IMAGO)You can follow every Manchester United game on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Michael Carrick has made himself a genuine candidate for the Manchester United managerial position beyond the end of the season.By Graham RuthvenAs a safe pair of hands, Michael Carrick has been the antidote to everything Manchester United suffered from under Ruben Amorim. He has simplified things. Players are being used in their natural positions. The former midfielder has helped to put United’s season back on track with Champions League qualification now likely.Initially hired to keep the seat warm until Manchester United could make a permanent appointment this summer, Carrick must be taken seriously as a candidate in his own right. If the 44-year-old has fixed many of the Old Trafford outfit’s problems, why would they risk breaking everything again by hiring someone else?There’s no doubt many of the names linked with the United job have better managerial records than Carrick. Julian Nagelsmann, for example, is a Bundesliga-winning coach. He could be a World Cup-winning coach by the time he finishes his stint as Germany national team boss this summer.Mauricio Pochettino has managed some of the biggest clubs, and best players, in the world. The Argentine is another candidate who could be available after the 2026 World Cup with Pochettino currently in charge of the USA national team. There’s good reason to believe he would be successful at Old Trafford.Nothing is certain, though. Amorim was widely considered one of the best young coaches in Europe before he took the Manchester United job. In one of the sport’s most demanding environments, though, he floundered. Is the C.V of a prospective manager worth more than the actual evidence of being a good fit for the job Carrick is currently providing?Carrick has managed Manchester United like he played for them. He hasn’t complicated matters. Carrick has untangled the convoluted dogmatism of the Amorim era, adopting an uncomplicated 4-2-3-1 formation that appears to suit the group of players he inherited from his predecessor.Several of United’s squad have found new levels in their individual performances, highlighting Carrick’s man-management skills. Is anyone in the Premier League playing better football than Bruno Fernandes is at this moment in time? Now operating in his favoured number 10 role again, the 31-year-old is a formidable creative force.Under Amorim, Benjamin Šeško struggled for any sort of consistency. With Carrick at the helm, though, the £74m striker has scored five goals in his last seven games including winners against Fulham, Everton and Crystal Palace. His goals have been worth seven points on their own.Šeško’s shot map in the Premier League this seasonCasemiro has looked more like the Casemiro of old while Kobbie Mainoo has been reintegrated after Amorim froze him out of the first team. Mainoo still has flaws to his game, but his mobility and willingness to rotate possession has given Manchester United some much-needed connective tissue in the centre of the pitch. His return has also been timely for his career, given he has just received a recall to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming international break.On and off the field, Carrick has taken the job of being United manager in his stride. While Amorim frequently caused problems for himself by making ill-advised comments to the media, Carrick has barely said anything of note since taking over. When Paul Scholes’ Instagram posts could have created a distraction, the United interim manager brushed off the controversy with ease.At the time, the loss to 10-man Newcastle United at St James’ Park was a big blow. However, it gave Carrick and his team the opportunity to show they could bounce back from adversity, which they did by dismantling Aston Villa on Sunday to take another important step towards a top-five finish.United’s results under Carrick have been better than their performances. The 1-0 win over Everton last month was somewhat fortunate as was the 2-1 home victory against Crystal Palace when an opposition red card gave Manchester United an advantage they possibly didn’t deserve.Nonetheless, Carrick has undeniably made a positive impact over the last two months, His United team is playing well and Champions League qualification would give the club a platform to strengthen further ahead of next season. For the first time in a long while, the Old Trafford outfit is moving in the right direction.“This place means a lot to me, so to have so much positivity, with everyone enjoying coming to the games and obviously for me to have an influence on that, of course it feels good, I’m not going to lie,” said Carrick when asked about his impact as interim manager. “The players have to take a lot of credit for that in terms of what they put on the pitch.”The Champions League picture with eight games to playManchester United have a big decision to make. Two months ago, the idea of appointing Carrick permanently was farfetched. It would have been criticised as being unambitious. Now, the former midfielder is making a strong case for his continued employment. If it ain’t broke, don’t hire another manager.(Images from IMAGO)You can follow every Manchester United game on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.