Manchester United are set to confirm a familiar face as their next caretaker manager, with club legend Michael Carrick set to return until the end of the season.
The 44-year-old has reached a verbal agreement to stabilize his campaign, which is rapidly going off track, following the sacking of Ruben Amorim and an unsuccessful interim term under Darren Fletcher.
The paperwork is expected to be completed soon and Carrick has already begun identifying the team’s problems ahead of this weekend’s daunting Manchester derby.
Michael Carrick wants Manchester United to strengthen two positions
Manchester United’s appointment as caretaker manager may be temporary, but Michael Carrick’s early demands suggest big changes are rapidly approaching.
The latest information from a prominent X insider says the incoming boss has identified two key areas that require urgent surgery.
“We can confirm that Michael Carrick would ideally like to bring in two new players – a defender and a midfielder,” a source told X.
Amorim’s turbulent 14-month reign, and the weakness of a backline that has consistently leaked goals this season.
With the winter period open until early February, Carrick appears determined to implement his preferred possession-based system with the addition of a managerial centre-back and a ball-handling No. 6, suggesting he intends to fight for a permanent role rather than just a stopgap.
Can Carrick save Manchester United’s season?
The challenges facing Michael Carrick are monumental. He takes over a team that sits seventh in the Premier League but has already been knocked out of both domestic cups after Sunday’s shock defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup.
Amorim’s experiment ended in disaster and the Portuguese manager left the club, languishing 17 points behind league leaders Arsenal and falling into mid-table obscurity.
Carrick’s three-game stint in charge in 2021 remains the only unbeaten reign in the post-Ferguson era, but the stakes are now even higher.
His main goal will be to restore confidence and tactical discipline to a broken dressing room as Champions League qualification moves further and further away.
His first test could not be more severe. It’s a match against Manchester City at Old Trafford.
If Carrick can overcome a tough start and reportedly get the contract he wants, he could regain some pride from a season that threatened to be completely ruined.
