Wayne Rooney has come out firmly in support of Michael Carrick receiving the Manchester United manager’s job permanently, following a commanding 3-1 home victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live in the aftermath of the result, the United legend was crystal clear in what he thought, reported by CaughtOffside.
United went into the contest sitting sixth when Carrick succeeded Ruben Amorim in mid-January, and the win over Villa cemented their grip on third place, opening up a three-point gap over fourth-placed Villa and a six-point cushion above Chelsea in sixth. What Carrick has done in nine Premier League games has turned heads across the football world. Carrick has steered United to seven wins, one draw, and just one defeat in those nine outings, collecting 22 of a possible 27 points.
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Rooney, who shared a dressing room with Carrick between 2006 and 2017 and won five Premier League titles and a Champions League alongside him, insisted his former teammate was the clear answer. He stated on BBC Radio 5 Live that the club required a calm presence who understood both the environment and the players, and that Carrick had delivered exactly that.
The 44-year-old, who won 34 England caps between 2001 and 2015, has stitched the squad back together after it drifted badly under Amorim both in shape and in spirit. Rooney stressed that the players were performing at a higher standard and playing like a team again, and he asked why United would consider any alternative given those results.
Rooney further noted that Carrick has a 75% win rate across both stints as United boss, compared to Amorim’s 38% across all competitions. Across his current spell, Carrick had accumulated the joint-best points tally for any manager in their opening nine Premier League games since the league’s formation in 1992, level with Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham. Bookmakers already have Carrick as the favourite to be confirmed as United’s permanent head coach for next season, ahead of Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, while Thomas Tuchel has removed himself from contention after extending his England contract.
“100% he should [get the job]. I have said this. I knew this was going to happen with Michael Carrick. I know him very well. I know his character, his personality. It needed a calm head, but someone who knows the place and the players needed some love, and he has given them that.
“We have seen the players play with more quality, more together as a team, and they look like a very strong team. For me, why would you change? He has got the best winning percentage of any Manchester United manager after that many games. For me, he has to get the job.”
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The real question is not whether Carrick has earned this; his numbers settle that debate, but whether United’s board will back a man they brought in as a short-term fix over bigger, shinier names from abroad. Roy Keane argued in January that Carrick should not receive the position regardless of results. Gary Neville has maintained that United should pursue the best available option in the market, arguing that two successive inexperienced appointments have cost the club dearly. That case would hold up in most situations.
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This one is different, though. United sit third in the Premier League in mid-March 2026, a Champions League place looking increasingly likely, with a squad that looks settled and a recognisable style taking shape under him. Appointing a high-profile external manager now would mean the fourth permanent or interim managerial change in roughly three years.
There comes a point where keeping things stable matters more than chasing a famous name. Carrick already knows this club, the culture, and their current players better than any incoming candidate could. Giving Carrick the job permanently is the right call; and yes, for a board that has consistently picked the glamorous outside option, it would take some guts to do it.
