Manchester United have appointed Michael Carrick as their head coach on a two-year contract, with an option to extend until 2029, tasking him with ending the club's Premier League title drought ahead of their 150th anniversary in 2028. The appointment comes after Carrick guided United to a third-placed finish and Champions League qualification — results strong enough to make him the obvious choice, even if not the most glamorous one.

The case for and against Carrick

INEOS's Project 150 was conceived with the ambition of making both the men's and women's teams English champions by 2028. Chief executive Omar Berrada reaffirmed that target a year ago despite what predecessor Ruben Amorim himself called a "disaster season" — a 15th-place finish that few could have imagined just months earlier.

Carrick arrives with a win rate superior to any United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson, though the sample size remains modest. His lack of Premier League experience is a legitimate concern, and six managers before him have fallen short of restoring the club to English football's summit. Yet his dressing room support is described as overwhelming, and the timing of the FIFA World Cup 2026 — which has kept several elite managers unavailable until mid-summer — has narrowed the field in his favour.

The comparison with Mikel Arteta is instructive: Arteta became the first Premier League-winning manager to have never claimed major silverware before his appointment. Carrick's journey from midfielder and club captain to the touchline bears resemblance to that path. Whether the parallel flatters or overstates Carrick's prospects remains to be seen.

Balancing the Champions League

Carrick's record since taking charge has been striking — 12 wins from 17 league games — but it was built under unusually favourable conditions. United played only 40 games this season, the fewest in a single campaign since 1914/15, after early exits from both domestic cups and no European football. They averaged eight days between fixtures, more than double what Arsenal managed across all competitions, with Mikel Arteta's side playing 13 more games over the same period.

Next season will be fundamentally different. United face a minimum of eight additional fixtures on top of the 40 they played in 2025/26, and Carrick will be expected to compete in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup as well. Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur all suffered significant underperformance when juggling Champions League commitments in recent seasons — a cautionary tale for a squad that currently lacks depth.

Reshaping a threadbare midfield

Central midfield represents the most pressing area of concern. Casemiro is departing, and Manuel Ugarte is expected to follow in a summer clear-out of up to eight first-team players. That leaves Kobbie Mainoo, 21, as the sole recognised central midfielder in the senior squad.

Sky Sports News reports that at least two midfielders will be signed this summer, with Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba, Mateus Fernandes, and Ederson among the targets. Replacing Casemiro poses a particular challenge: his six goal contributions proved worth five points under Carrick, and his value in both penalty areas — as a defensive anchor and a goalscoring presence — demands more than one direct replacement.

Clearing out the squad

United are pursuing up to eight first-team departures, hoping to recoup £100 million from sales. Jadon Sancho, Casemiro, and Tyrell Malacia are set to leave when their contracts expire this summer, while the fates of Marcus Rashford and André Onana — currently on loan at Barcelona and Trabzonspor respectively — must also be resolved. Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee, both peripheral figures this season, are similarly expected to move on.

Carrick has built goodwill in the dressing room during his time as head coach, but the ruthless decisions required in the coming weeks will test a different set of qualities. How he navigates the politics of a major squad overhaul could ultimately determine whether his tenure at Old Trafford is remembered as a stepping stone or something more significant.