Manchester United are preparing to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, 9 May, in the Premier League. A win this weekend could all but confirm the Red Devils’ position in third place in the league table this season.
That would mark a significant improvement from the 15th-placed finish under former head coach Ruben Amorim last season. The Portuguese was removed from his position in January this year following an indifferent 14-month spell, with Michael Carrick taking over as caretaker manager.
The Englishman’s arrival sparked the team back into life, and inspired a blistering run of 10 wins and two draws in 14 games. That has turned United’s season around and also strengthened the case for Carrick to be appointed as permanent manager.
The Red Devils are expected to make a decision on the permanent appointment at the end of this season. Former United forward Dimitar Berbatov has now explained why United must continue with the English manager next season.
The logical decision
Speaking to The Athletic, Berbatov acknowledged that handing Carrick the full-time job appears to be the logical decision, but warned that logic does not always work in football. He said: “United were in a bad situation before, now we are third, and we are going to qualify for the Champions League.”
“So if that’s not Michael Carrick and his team doing the right job, I don’t know what it is. So I truly hope that whoever needs to decide their next coach says, ‘Michael, you’ve done a terrific job, pulled us out of a difficult situation, and you deserve to continue’. I mean, that’s logical thinking. But sometimes in football, logic is not present.”
Berbatov and Carrick shared the pitch on 104 occasions during their playing careers with United, even contributing four goals together.
Communication is key
Carrick has managed to extract the most out of a squad that appeared out of ideas under Amorim. Berbatov went on to suggest that communication may have played a key role in United’s rise, adding: “The players are the same from Amorim, but you can see the clear difference in how the team is playing.”
“Sometimes it’s not even about tactics; it’s about the manager’s ability to communicate with the players. When you’re talking about big teams, it usually means big players with big egos, so you need to know how to speak with them. You need to know how to put your message into them so they can put it onto the pitch.”
“Sometimes, these players just need to know that you believe in them and give them the freedom to do what they need to do on the pitch. You know this is also about conversation, dialogues between each other. Casemiro has won five Champions Leagues — he knows how to boss a midfield. Just go out there and do your job.”
“You have managers who understand man-management, how to speak with you differently, because everybody is different. That’s exactly what United needed, and Michael has produced it.”
Michael Carrick Managerial Career Stats
| Team | From | To | Games Played | Games Won | Games Drawn | Games Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United (caretaker) | 21 November 2021 | 2 December 2021 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Middlesbrough | 24 October 2022 | 4 June 2025 | 136 | 63 | 24 | 49 | 46.3% |
| Manchester United | 13 January 2026 | Present | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 71.4% |
Source: Wikipedia.
Final Thoughts
With every passing day, it looks increasingly likely that Carrick will remain in the hot seat at Old Trafford beyond this summer. With experienced managers like Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Enrique and Thomas Tuchel unavailable, perhaps the Englishman is the perfect candidate for the job.
Michael Carrick has done an incredible job at @ManUtd 👏
No side has taken more points since he returned to Old Trafford in January 🔝 pic.twitter.com/c6quPbeXv9
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 3, 2026
Featured image by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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