Manchester United’s decline is often traced back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, but even the Scottish player cannot escape responsibility for what happened next, following a series of questionable transfers in his later years.
Looking back at 2009, the Red Devils, who were firmly in Glazer’s ownership at that point, allowed Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to leave. Gabriel Aubertan, Antonio Valencia and the aging Michael Owen joined the team.
To his credit, Ferguson’s magic propelled a fading side to further glory over the next four years, but as Wayne Rooney has since admitted, the club arguably never truly recovered from that point, with the 13-time title winner bequeathing an aging and arguably over-achieving team to compatriot David Moyes.
Club legend Roy Keane believes ‘Fergie’ is ‘hanging around like a stink’ at Old Trafford and has exerted such a lasting influence that current caretaker manager Darren Fletcher has asked for his ‘blessings’ as he replaces Ruben Amorim.
In fact, at least two of Ferguson’s former players are vying with Fletcher to be interim manager, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick being favorites to fill the vacant role.
Latest news on Manchester United’s Carrick and Solskjaer
By all accounts, INEOS had narrowed down its tentative list of candidates to former United stars and went through the phone book to contact two of Ferguson’s protégés.
Latest reports claim Solskjær is in talks to make an emotional return at Old Trafford, more than four years after he was sacked following a 4-1 defeat away to Watford in November 2021.
Carrick, who worked under the Norwegian before his sacking, is thought to have already held his own talks with fellow English player Jason Wilcox, who was sacked by Middlesbrough last year and is currently unemployed.
There is thought to be a scenario in which both men do indeed return to their respective posts, with Solskjær taking charge and Carrick resuming his assistant role, with whom they have worked fruitfully together in the past.
This is a new set-up for the system that hired and sacked Solskjær, but there are hopes that they can repeat the interim heroics of the 2018/19 season, when they won 14 from just 19 games, including that night in Paris.
Solskjaer’s interim period | |
|---|---|
status | record |
Responsible day | 99 |
game | 19 |
victory | 14 |
draw | 2 |
loss | 3 |
Players used | 28 |
Points per game | 2.32 |
Average number of goals | 2.11 |
Average number of goals conceded | 0.89 |
via Transfermarkt | |
There remains a selection of members from the Scandinavian national team, but this is very different from the team he left behind. Can and should it be countered?
Manchester United should hire dream Carrick and Solskjaer replacement
Relatively fresh voices like Carrick and Solskjær may be just what this struggling team needs, and the pair have already earned the respect of United’s two greats, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
Some may argue that it’s best to go with a completely blank slate and bring in someone from outside to replace him, but INEOS could very well make a better choice if they are to sign an old favorite, with Ruud van Nistelrooy also mentioned this week as a candidate for the role.
Indeed, what Carrick or Solskjaer will do with this team is up for debate, but we already know what Van Nistelrooy will be able to achieve after enjoying a fruitful spell as caretaker manager in 2024.
The legendary Dutchman stepped up from a behind-the-scenes role under manager Erik ten Hag and took charge following his compatriot’s departure, winning three of four games and securing a scintillating draw at home to Chelsea.
It should be noted that two of those games were against relegation-threatened Leicester City, who Van Nistelrooy will continue to manage, but his impact was immediate, defeating the Foxes 5-2 in his first appearance in the dugout.
They have since brought in the likes of Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesco and Brian Mbeumo, but the former PSV manager has shown what he can do with this group in a back-four formation, with the aforementioned Fernandes being a key beneficiary.
The Portuguese playmaker hadn’t really scored under Ten Hag earlier that season, but he got off to a quick start that night against Leicester, scoring twice in what would prove to be a great individual performance.
The United captain scored four goals and provided two assists in total during Van Nistelrooy’s short spell, playing into his preferred attacking midfield role.
Of course, Carrick and Solskjær would do the same, but the Dutchman also brings back the rest of the current squad, namely Casemiro, so he should be the priority pick.
Andy Mitten said the “very ambitious and very driven” manager, hailed by Ten Hag, was believed to have been instrumental in that four-game run, but United are said to regret letting Amorim go on his arrival.
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