Michael Carrick told which two big-name managers would stop him getting Man Utd job permanently as former Red Devils star urges club to 'ride the wave' with interim boss

United have already begun the process of hiring a permanent boss, according to Gary Neville, and they will wait until near the end of the season before coming to a decision. Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola are set to be free agents, while England boss Thomas Tuchel could be free after the World Cup. But with each United victory, the case to make Carrick the permanent boss becomes ever more convincing.

Carrick has made the best start of any United manager since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was also initially appointed on an interim basis until the end of the 2018-19 season, only to be given a longer contract following a run of 14 wins in his first 19 matches after succeeding Jose Mourinho. Carrick has said the club will not make a "knee-jerk" decision like they did back then.

Former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves believes his old team-mate Carrick should be the frontrunner, unless the club can convince either Tuchel or Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique to take the job.

Hargreaves, a commentator and pundit for TNT Sports, told GOAL: "I don't see how you couldn't give it to him. I know they had the experience with Ole but he finished second and did great right up to a point. In the end in football you get the highs and lows. When it's good, you’ve got to enjoy it. Right now, Man United have it good. So if he [Carrick] finishes third or fourth, from where they were and all the noise, how could you not?

"The only thing you could throw at it was experience, and if you could get a Luis Enrique or Tuchel, maybe. But right now, the most important thing is not the manager or the players, it's a football club winning, and the football club is winning, and Carras is the architect of that. So why would you change that?"

Hargreaves, who formed a productive midfield partnership with Carrick as United won the Premier League title and the Champions League in the 2007-08 season, warned that big-name managers do not always succeed at Old Trafford, pointing to Louis van Gaal and Mourinho's ultimately disappointing tenures. He believes United's best bet is to build long-term under Carrick, who has formed a strong bond with the players in less than a month in charge.

Hargreaves explained: "They already had two of the greatest managers in the last decade, you know, outside of Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, in Van Gaal and Mourinho. Names don't guarantee you success. If anything, names bring more expectation, and they'll say, 'I want this' and 'I want that'. So they can really build with somebody like Carras. And obviously, stop making it so short-term. Ride the wave while it's good, the football's good. Fans are happy, all the players are happy."

Hargreaves first met Carrick when playing for the England Under-21 side in 2001. "I would say he's always been the same," he added. "I just think there's such a compliment to him, because he never gets too up or too down. He's just himself. It's so hard to just be yourself in this space where everybody's trying to make you into somebody. He's so comfortable in his own skin. 

"He carries himself with class. He treats everybody with respect. And he's a smart guy. He doesn't have to shout or yell. He's always watching. People think, 'Oh, I've got to shout as a coach' but you're there to help people get better. One of the things people forget is it's about people. It's not about you. You know, a lot of these guys are trying to make it about them. 

"Yeah, you've got to be in charge, you've got to make decisions in big moments. But ultimately you've got people trying to follow you, and you've got to inspire them to help you, help the team do well. And I think the more people you can reach and connect to, the better they're going to play for you. He's got to feel what United need and he's finding solutions, and everybody's playing well."

Carrick has already overseen a longer winning streak in less than a month in the United job than Amorim did in 14 months in charge and the coach can match the club's longest run of victories in two years when his side visit his former club West Ham on Tuesday, which is live on TNT Sports.

TNT Sports is showing all 10 Premier League games this week. As well as United's trip to the London Stadium, fans can catch Chelsea vs Leeds, Tottenham vs Newcastle and Everton versus Bournemouth on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Manchester City host Fulham looking to capitalise on their incredible comeback win over Liverpool, who will be hoping to pick up the pieces from their late collapse when they visit Sunderland. Also on Wednesday, Crystal Palace host Burnley, Aston Villa play at home to Brighton and Hove Albion while Nottingham Forest host Wolves.

Then, on Thursday, Premier League leaders Arsenal visit Brentford.