Carrick has nailed quick fixes at Manchester United but is he more than new Solskjr? | Jonathan Wilson

"Keep Michael Carrick on, and it's just another Ole Gunnar Solskjr situation. But replace him and, for almost whoever they appoint — be it a Premier League veteran, foreign maestro, renowned past-his-best winner, Red Bull-adjacent gegenpresser, austere Dutchman or Portuguese ideologue — they have done it before and it hasn't worked. It's almost like the biggest problem at the club isn't the manager."

"Carrick's start was undeniably impressive. There was pace and zip and creativity. The relief of players being released from the 3-4-2-1 was akin to one of those videos of cows being allowed back into the pasture after being kept in a barn over the winter. Who could possibly have predicted that Amad Diallo would excel as a right-sided forward, or that Bruno Fernandes might thrive as a No 10? United didn't just beat Manchester City 2-0; they hammered them."

"Solskjr's first game after replacing Jose Mourinho in December 2018, it may be remembered, was a 5-1 demolition of Cardiff. He proceeded to win 13 of the following 16 games, the only defeat coming at home against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League, a setback that was turned around in the second leg at the Parc des Princes, which turned out to be the high point of his reign."

Manchester United face a credibility problem because any managerial decision now will be judged against many prior failures and set a bad precedent. Keeping Michael Carrick would echo the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer caretaker-to-permanent pattern, while replacing him risks repeating unsuccessful appointments of various high-profile types. Carrick produced an immediate uplift: increased pace, creativity, and tactical freedom that unlocked players like Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes, culminating in a dominant 2-0 victory over Manchester City. Historical precedent shows early upturns can be misleading; Solskjaer began with explosive results but the form later collapsed, leaving long-term regression despite an impressive start.

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