Sorry, Ole! Michael Carrick is the right choice for Man Utd interim job rather than Solskjaer

Darren Fletcher, another star performer from the Ferguson age, stepped up from his role as Under-18s coach to lead the first team on an interim basis after Amorim's departure. But any notion he may have held about staying at the helm until the summer has been quickly extinguished.

United were held to a 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Burnley in Fletcher's first game, which saw them drop to seventh in the Premier League table. Although the Scot was left lamenting his side's lack of cutting edge after peppering the Burnley goal with 30 shots, he described it as an "amazing experience" and confirmed he would be back in the dugout for the Red Devils' next match: an FA Cup third-round tie against Brighton.

Alas, there were no positives whatsoever to take from that contest. Brighton ran out deserved 2-1 winners at Old Trafford, with ex-United youngster Danny Welbeck coming back to haunt his former club once again, and boos rained down from the home stands after the final whistle.

The result marked a new low for United, who were stunned by fourth-tier Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup back in August, as they suffered exits at the first time of asking from both domestic competitions for the first time since 1981-82. It also means that they will now play just 40 games this term, their fewest since 1914-15. It was all too much for Fletcher, whose voice cracked as he admitted to the media: "That is where we are at - we can't hide from that. It is not Manchester United level or what is expected." 

Fletcher has also resigned himself to the fact that he won't be at the wheel for much longer. "Someone is going to come in and lead them, they need to make sure they have a lot to play for this season," he added to TNT Sports. "The biggest thing for me is that the group of players, whoever leads them, comes together. It's over to them, they need to make sure that they have got a lot to play for this season. This team is still good enough to achieve success this season, but they have to dig deep."

Indeed, technically, United are still in a strong position to secure a top-five berth in the Premier League, which is again likely to be enough to qualify for the Champions League based on UEFA's coefficients rankings. The Red Devils are only two points behind fifth-placed Brentford and three adrift of Liverpool in fourth, and Fletcher urged the players not to "waste the season" with salvation still in sight.

But realistically, they won't be consistent enough to get over the line. United have only won two of their last nine fixtures, with valuable league points having been dropped against struggling Leeds United, Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest. There will be no dramatic improvement with this amazingly limited squad. Aside from club captain Bruno Fernandes, no one can maintain the required level of performance every week. 

The caretaker's main objective, then, should simply be to give fans something to cheer about again. In very similar circumstances, some seven years ago, Solskjaer managed to do that. Now, it's Carrick's turn.

According to The Guardian, both Solskjaer and Carrick held face-to-face talks with Berrada and Wilcox over the weekend, and United are planning to finalise the caretaker appointment in plenty of time before next weekend's vital derby clash against Manchester City. Ex-Red Devils boss Solskjaer was initially seen as the frontrunner for the job, but Carrick is said to have 'edged' ahead after a particularly impressive interview.

It has also been reported that Fletcher could form part of Carrick's backroom staff, along with another supporting coach, mirroring the set-up that was in place between 2018 and 2021. Carrick served as Solskjaer's No.2 during that period with Kieran McKenna, now in charge at Ipswich Town, and Mike Phelan completing the team.

When Solskjaer was dismissed in November 2021, Carrick temporarily took the reins, and delivered an immediate upturn. United beat Villarreal 2-0 away from home in the Champions League, before battling to a 1-1 draw at Chelsea and beating Arsenal 3-2 at Old Trafford. The performance against the Gunners was particularly encouraging, but by that time, Ralf Rangnick had already been chosen to come in as interim manager, and Carrick announced he was leaving the club after the game.

Tellingly, the players were sad to see him go, as Harry Maguire revealed to reporters: "He's a really likable man, all the lads respect him and he's been amazing with each and every one of us. We're going to miss him."

The key word in there was "respect". Carrick would command it again the second he walks back through the door, with the likes of Maguire, Fernandes, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Amad Diallo among the surviving members of the squad he left behind.

Almost a year on from his exit, Carrick landed his first permanent head coaching role at Middlesbrough. He inherited a squad languishing in 21st place in the Championship table, just one point above the drop zone, but managed to turn their fortunes around overnight.

Remarkably, Boro won 16 of their first 23 matches under Carrick, who picked up two EFL Manager of the Month awards along the way. They ended the 2022-23 campaign in fourth, sealing a spot in the play-offs, only to suffer a 1-0 aggregate loss to Coventry City across two agonisingly close semi-final legs. Still, Carrick received widespread praise, from both the media and within the dressing room.

“He’s the manager I’ve been dreaming of my whole career,” Chuba Akpom, who clinched the Championship Golden Boot with 28 goals for Boro that season, said. “I want to fight for the manager because he’s shown so much trust and confidence in me. He gave me the freedom to express myself and I appreciate that so much.”

Jonny Howson, Boro's skipper at the time, added to The Athletic: “It’s entertaining. We attack, create, score and control possession. That’s the way Michael played the game.”

Carrick continued to bring fans entertainment in his second season, masterminding a thrilling run to the Carabao Cup semi-finals, and though Boro ultimately finished eighth in the Championship, the Englishman was still awarded a new three-year contract. 

Unfortunately, though, there was no progress to speak of in the 2024-25 campaign. Boro slumped to 10th in the table, and club chiefs subsequently pulled the plug on the Carrick project. But things might have been different had it not been for very fine margins. Boro were fifth heading into their final six games, and really should have made the play-offs again. Alas, they only picked up another four points, leaving Carrick in an untenable position. 

Still he left the Riverside with a very respectable win percentage of 46.3, the best record in the club's history for managers in the second tier. Carrick was also Boro's longest-serving boss since their relegation from the Premier League in 2017, and proved his coaching chops in a cutthroat division notorious for weeding out the pretenders.

Solskjaer has more managerial experience than Carrick, but some 15 years into his career on the touchline, the jury is still very much out on his coaching credentials. The United icon, who was immortalised after scoring the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final, delivered three trophies across two spells at Molde in Norway, with a disastrous nine-month spell at Cardiff City wedged in between.

After experiencing relegation from the Premier League in Wales, it was a huge surprise when United came calling for Solskjaer in December 2018, though the overwhelming majority of the fanbase was in favour of his return. The club had been stripped of its identity on Mourinho's watch, and Solskjaer was seen as the ideal interim appointment to restore the values previously upheld by Ferguson.

He did exactly that, overseeing 14 wins out of 17 to earn a permanent contract. In his first two full seasons, Solskjaer led United to third and second-placed finishes, and helped them break the record for the longest Premier League unbeaten run away from home (28 games). No other manager since Ferguson had been able to keep the Red Devils in the top four for such a sustained period. As such, there has been a lot of revisionism about Solskjaer's tenure over the last two years, as the club has been plunged into deep crisis. 

There are even some who believe Solskjaer would still be in charge now, had he not been thrown off track by the homecoming of Cristiano Ronaldo, but that's not the reality. United declined much quicker because of the need to accommodate a 37-year-old Ronaldo, but Solskjaer would have been found out even if the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had never been re-signed.

Solskjaer kept supporters on side by embracing Ferguson's counter-attacking style, but had no Plan B. That's why the best sides overpowered United, with a 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool marking Solskjaer's worst moment, and why they were often frustrated against low blocks, including in their 2021 Europa League final loss against Villarreal.

Let's not forget either, the United faithful booed Solskjaer after his final game, an unforgivable 4-1 drubbing at Watford. The beloved 'baby-faced assassin' had his chance, and blew it. Turning to Solskjaer again now would just show that INEOS have not learned from the mistakes of the previous regime.

Carrick is not remembered quite as fondly as Solskjaer for his days as a United player, but only because his old team-mate was a striker who scored so many important goals. In terms of overall importance to the team, Carrick arguably eclipsed Solskjaer; he was a masterful playmaker with a passing range few have matched in the Premier League era. 

He's a bona fide legend in his own right, and has made an admirable start to his coaching career. He deserves the same opportunity Solskjaer was given, and the Norwegian shouldn't be standing in his way, especially not if he wants to be true to his word.

"Michael is a man of value and principles, a big family man, but his knowledge is also second to none," Solskjaer said in an interview with The Athletic in 2023. "At United, I’d sometimes see Michael talk to the players. Some of these were ex-team-mates of his which isn’t easy, but he had an authority about him. I am 100% sure that Michael will be the manager of Manchester United if he wants to be."

There is also much less risk with Carrick. If Solskjaer were to come back and fail again, INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family would come under potentially crippling scrutiny. He's only held one position since departing United, at Turkish outfit Besiktas, where he spent eight months before being sacked on the back of a Conference League play-off exit at the hands of Swiss club Lausanne, ironically also owned by INEOS.

Additionally, the i Paper is reporting that Solskjaer believes he could earn another shot at the full-time United post, which is folly. Carrick understands the vacancy for what it is: a short-term assignment. The club wants a big-name in the summer, amid links with England manager Thomas Tuchel, and any temptation to abandon that plan should be resisted.

This is about stabilising the team, not transforming it. Carrick is a safer pair of hands who can build a platform for a brighter future.