Manchester United appoint Michael Carrick as interim manager

Another year, another man in charge.

Michael Carrick will take over as the first team manager of Manchester United on an interim basis, the club announced Tuesday.

The appointment represents the club’s 12th official change since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013.

The 44-year-old Englishman spent the majority of his playing career with the Red Devils. From 2006-2018, he made 464 appearances, scoring 24 goals while recording 35 assists.

During his long spell with the club, Carrick also had a hand in filling United’s trophy cabinet. His list of honours is lengthy: five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three EFL Cups, six FA Community Shields, one FIFA Club World Cup, one Europa League title, and one Champions League title. He was also made captain in his final season.

After retiring in 2018, Carrick then moved on to coaching, remaining at the club under Jose Mourinho who appointed him as one of his assistants. He also served as an assistant for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who took over when Mourinho eventually got the sack in December 2018.

When Solskjaer was let go, Carrick got his first taste of life as a manager. He temporarily sat in the big seat for three games, winning two of them and drawing one, before leaving the club entirely following the appointment of Ralf Rangnick.

It didn’t take long for the former midfielder to get his chance in a manager’s seat permanently, though, taking on the challenge of leading Middlesbrough FC out of the EFL Championship and back to the Premier League. His time at Middlesbrough, who were 21st in the league at the time of his appointment, initially proved to be successful. He won 16 of his first 23 games in charge and led his side to the Championship play-offs where they lost to Coventry City. In his second season, Carrick then brought The Boro to their first EFL Cup semi-final in 20 years.

His time at Middlesborough came to an end in June of 2025 and he has been on the lookout for work since.

Following the firing of Ruben Amorim earlier this month, the English club began looking for possible replacements, with two names at the forefront of that conversation: Michael Carrick and the man he previously worked under, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Solskjaer managed Man United from 2018-2021, achieving a .548 win percentage through the 168 games he took charge in. While he wasn’t able to get his hands on any silverware, he did lead them to runners-up finishes in the the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League.

While Solskjaer appeared to be the initial favourite to get the job, Carrick was chosen by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co. as the man to lead United to the end of the season.

The job is simply an interim one, but it marks a massive step in the managerial career of the United legend.