Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes the club won’t make a managerial decision until the end of the season.
Manchester United have been doing wonders under Michael Carrick. They have won all four of the Premier League games he has been in charge of. The Englishman has not just won four league games; the fact that he has taken down Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham in the process has completely changed the feeling at the club.
From a team that was struggling to push for a Champions League spot, Manchester United are now favourites to finish inside the top five. They look set to return to Europe’s biggest club competition. Despite Carrick’s exceptional work, Neville feels Manchester United will not be bounced into handing the former United midfielder the managerial role. They will wait until the end of the campaign before making any decision.
Gary Neville on Manchester United’s managerial situation
While speaking on his own podcast (The Gary Neville Podcast), the former Manchester United defender warned that the Red Devils will not be rushed into handing Carrick the job, despite his team’s incredible performances in recent weeks.
He said via Sky Sports, “I made my position clear a few weeks ago and what I’m not going to do is repeat it every week, but what I did, I actually spoke to the club, because ultimately the club get asked all the time from journalists and broadcasters, what’s the position of the club.
“It’s a very difficult situation, you’ve got a massive movement now with what’s happened towards giving Carrick the job, saying that really he should be considered.That’s only going to build the more that he wins and the more that he gets closer to Champions League football.
“I asked the club what is the official position of the football club in terms of what you’re saying publicly to everybody else. I have to say I thought their answer was pretty good. They said they’ve actually begun the process now, starting to look for another manager, which I thought right.
“That’s good to hear because you need to plan for everything. They’ve started the process of speaking to and looking at other managers, building all the sorts of data and analysing who should be the next manager of the football club. But what they’ve said is they’re not going to be bounced into – irrespective of wins or draws or losses on the pitch in this next couple of months – making an appointment. They’re going to wait until towards the end of the season.
“If Michael then at that point makes himself available for the job, and I did actually say a couple of weeks ago, I wondered whether Michael actually would say no. He is that type of guy Michael, he’s someone who would always work in the best interest of the football club. He may do that, or he might say no, I feel comfortable enough and I’ve built such a good relationship with the players, his coaching staff to put his name in the hat.
“At that point Michael Carrick, like in any other recruitment role in the country for any other business, would go into what would be a process versus the likes of Thomas Tuchel and all the others that are going to become available in the summer. I think that’s fair.”
Can Carrick get the job?
Carrick has completely transformed Manchester United in a matter of weeks. The Englishman’s arrival has lifted the mood as they were on a four-match winless run, and he had only won one out of their last seven across competition before he came in. Since his arrival, they have won all four and have strengthened their position inside the top five.
They have a five-point cushion over sixth-placed Liverpool. Under the 44-year-old, they have started to believe that Champions League football can once again be a reality. Given his impact, the Red Devils will certainly be tempted to hand him the job.
But Neville has suggested the club are already looking for a potential manager and they will only make a decision after the end of the season. If Carrick is still in contention, he will be evaluated alongside other top options to see who is a perfect fit for the overall project.