Michael Carrick is Man Utd's only choice: Interim boss must be given permanent role after record-equalling form and lack of Red Devils alternatives

Imagine for a second that United had appointed a big-name coach, such as Xavi, Roberto De Zerbi, Xabi Alonso or Zinedine Zidane, to succeed Ruben Amorim in January. Imagine that they had won six of their first seven games, including beating the two main title challengers and two come-from-behind victories. Those coaches would have been hailed for their impact with no questions over whether they would be staying in charge. 

So why is there still doubt about Carrick? Under Amorim, United seemed to be forever on the cusp of breaking into the top four, repeatedly failing to capitalise on Chelsea and Liverpool dropping points in November and December as they won just three out of 11 games despite a very comfortable set of fixtures that included eight games against teams who are currently in the bottom half of the table. 

Carrick has catapulted United from sixth in the table to leapfrog Chelsea, Liverpool and now Aston Villa, opening up a six-point cushion to sixth spot, with a place in the top five almost certain to be enough to secure Champions League qualification.

Former United captain Gary Neville, who this time last week was very cynical about Carrick's prospects while claiming that United "have to pursue another manager right now", has admitted to being blown away by the progress made. 

"The run they have been on has been a shock to everybody," he said on Sunday. "Michael would not have expected this in his wildest dreams. Michael is in the box seat for the job. I think United will definitely finish third. I can't believe I'm saying that from where they were six weeks ago. But they've got no distractions, something good is going on, all the momentum."

There is, however, still some understandable caution among United fans about the way the team have been playing since their stunning wins over Manchester City and Arsenal in Carrick's first two games.

They conceded good chances to Fulham before giving away a two-goal lead, meaning they needed an injury-time goal from substitute Benjamin Sesko to take the three points. They were then unconvincing against Tottenham until Cristian Romero was sent off in the 29th minute, and even then did not put the game beyond their opponents until the closing stages.

The game at relegation-threatened West Ham was their worst performance under Carrick and again it fell to Sesko to bail them out, while the subsequent Everton match was not much better and again relied on Sesko to get the job done. 

Sunday's win over a tired Crystal Palace, who had played in the Conference League less than 72 hours earlier, was also helped by a penalty and red card, and a questionable one at that. And if you wanted to be really critical, you could say that the victory over Arsenal relied on two stupendous albeit low-probability, long-range strikes from Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha.

United have a huge advantage over their rivals for the top-five due to having no European football and being out of both domestic cups. Players have therefore had a minimum of seven days to prepare for matches, with the exception of the midweek West Ham game, and those critical of Carrick could point to the fact he named an unchanged starting XI at the London Stadium despite the short turnaround. He has made just three changes to his starting lineup for his seven matches in charge, with two of those being motivated by injury. 

You could also argue that Amorim's stubbornness is making Carrick look good, with any fan in the pub being able to see that playing a back four, restoring a fit-again Bruno Fernandes to the No.10 role and ending Kobbie Mainoo's exile was going to help the team's fortunes. He also benefited from Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire returning from injury just when he took charge, instantly raising the experience level among a defence that was previously led by teenager Ayden Heaven.

The counter-argument is that this is the most competitive Premier League season in a decade, with the smallest points gap between first place and the relegation zone at this stage since Leicester City shocked the world by becoming champions a decade ago. Even last-placed Wolves are improving, having beaten Villa on Friday after holding Arsenal to a draw two weeks ago. 

City's narrow win at Leeds United on Saturday further underlines the diminishing gap between teams at either end of the table,a nd in that context, Carrick has been able to take more points than any other manager since he succeeded Amorim. He has found ways to win that were beyond Amorim, again and again. 

He has also innovated and shown shrewd management. Playing Dorgu as a wide-left forward was something Amorim never considered, but it worked brilliantly in the first two games, as has playing Bryan Mbeumo centrally until Sunday.

His treatment of Sesko has been particularly effective, too. Carrick left the summer signing from RB Leipzig on the bench throughout the derby win, but as soon as the whistle went he comforted Sesko as if to say he would be part of this soon. He treaded carefully whenever asked why he was not starting the £74m ($99m) man and used him brilliantly from the bench, with Sesko scoring in three of his four appearances as a substitute before grabbing the winner in his first start under Carrick against Palace. 

Former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves praised Carrick for his work with Sesko, telling GOAL:"I think the best thing to do for a young player like that, even though you paid a lot of money for him, is to let him watch and learn. And it's working."

Current players are impressed, too.

"He knows what it takes to win here," said Cunha, who was particularly impressed with how Carrick reacted during the Arsenal game. "More than tactical issues, Carrick adds a lot from the side of someone who knows the paths representing the club. It is about winning mentality, about believing in what the coach prepared during the week. It was one of those games that mark a career. I will never forget it."

Carrick has also been praised behind the scenes for his intense training sessions while senior players are enjoying the sense of freedom he has given them rather than over-burdening them with tactical instructions. 

Carrick's lack of ego has been his secret weapon. He spent 12 years dealing with the scrutiny that comes with being a United player and his plain speaking in his often bland press conferences and interviews has disarmed his would-be critics. Amorim struggled with constant criticism from the outside throughout his tenure, all the way through to complaining about Neville in his very last press conference. Carrick has, by contrast, dealt expertly with the attacks from Keane and the pessimistic assessment of the likes of Neville.

With United moving firmly towards the modern structure of transfers being run by recruitment experts and directors of football, Carrick's low profile stands him in good stead. And lately United are making the right decisions in the transfer market, with all four of their summer signings coming good, none more so than Senne Lammens.

His main competitors for his job are also falling by the wayside. Thomas Tuchel has renewed his commitment to England until Euro 2028, while Julian Nagelsmann has the same length of contract with Germany. Luis Enrique, meanwhile, has one year left on his contract with Paris Saint-Germain but now appears to be leaning towards remaining in the French capital. 

Rising star Thomas Frank flopped at Tottenham while Oliver Glasner's reputation is declining amid the confrontational end to his time in charge of Palace. Alonso would likely be against joining United given his Liverpool allegiance, and though Andoni Iraola is still an attractive proposition, his credentials at the highest level are yet to be tested.

Carrick, however, has seen it all as a United player and from the sidelines as an assistant under both Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer. He might only have a small sample size as head coach, but he could hardly have had better results.

He faces three big tests before the international break as United visit Newcastle, the club Carrick supported as a boy, host Villa and then head to Iraola's Bournemouth. Win them all, and it would put huge pressure on United's hierarchy ahead of April, the month when clubs typically make the key decisions ahead of the next season.

United made it clear after sacking Amorim that they would hold an exhaustive search for their next coach. But right now, the best candidate is right in front of them, winning game after game after game.