Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford yesterday. This marked a fourth straight win for interim boss Michael Carrick. Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring in the first half after a smart corner routine. Bruno Fernandes then wrapped things up late with a clinical back-post finish.
Why Manchester United must not give Michael Carrick the permanent job
United really took control of the game once Spurs captain Cristian Romero saw red in the 29th minute. The referee dismissed him for a poor, lunging challenge on Casemiro. Things feel much better at Old Trafford since the club sacked Ruben Amorim in January. Still, giving Carrick the job full-time right now would be a massive gamble.
1. The sample size is just too small
Four games don’t make a managerial career. They definitely don’t prove the club is stable for the long haul. Fans have seen this play out at United before. Ole Gunnar Solskjær won his first eight games in 2018. That run hid the truth about his tactical flaws from the board.
Carrick has beaten City, Arsenal, Fulham and now Spurs. That looks great on paper. But hiring someone permanently based on two weeks of football forgets how long a 38-game season actually is. The board needs to see how he handles a proper crisis or a massive injury list. He hasn’t lost yet, but his luck won’t last forever.
2. These wins don’t tell the whole story
United played against ten men for over an hour against Spurs. Spurs actually looked like the better team until Romero’s moment of madness. That one mistake flipped the game on its head. Even the wins over City and Arsenal were mainly about catching teams on the break.
United didn’t actually boss those games. If you look at the expected goals (xG) data, United are scoring way more than they should while giving up huge chances that teams keep missing. A long-term manager needs a style that actually controls games. Right now, Carrick is just riding a wave of lucky finishing and opponent mistakes. That usually comes back to haunt you.
3. His record away from United is a worry
Carrick came back to Manchester after a shaky time at Middlesbrough. He couldn’t get them out of the Championship during his three years there. That run lasted from 2022 to 2025 and ended with him getting sacked. That doesn’t scream elite Premier League coach. Managing United takes a level of experience Carrick just hasn’t earned yet.
Put him next to the top-tier coaches currently available, and the difference is noticeable. Those guys have actually won things elsewhere. The club need a real tactician who has built winning teams, not just a popular ex-player who knows everyone at the training ground. Picking people based on good vibes has failed for a decade. It’s time to choose based on results.
4. The ‘new manager bounce’ isn’t a strategy
Players always step up right after a sacking. They want to show they weren’t the ones at fault. People call this the new manager bounce. Usually, it lasts about five or ten games before the squad falls back into old habits. Observers currently see the team running harder and pressing more, but they can’t keep that energy up forever.
Ruben Amorim’s strict setup frustrated these players, so Carrick’s more straightforward style feels like a breath of fresh air. But once that initial buzz dies down, the team will require fundamental tactical ideas to break down teams that sit deep. Carrick hasn’t shown he can do that yet. Signing him now risks getting stuck in another cycle of failure because everyone got caught up in the moment.
