Manchester United continue to be linked to various managers on the market this summer, but it feels like all the momentum and fan support are fully behind interim coach Michael Carrick.
Honestly, Carrick checks off so many boxes for Man United. Beyond being wildly successful since taking over for Ruben Amorim and righting the sinking ship immediately to push Man United into Champions League contention again, Carrick symbolizes what Man United is supposed to be about.
Unlike Erik ten Hag and Amorim, Carrick played for Man United and was a wonderful, cerebral midfielder who was unselfish and a coach on the field. He has brought the same unselfishness and understanding of the club’s values to help support the players, putting them before his own ego or ideas.
There are so many managers Manchester United are being linked to who do not have Carrick’s values and have been worse than he is recently, such as Roberto De Zerbi and Roberto Martinez.
The only conceivable upgrade on Carrick and the only coach worth pining after is Julian Nagelsmann, whose innovative tactics and ability to relate to players made him Germany’s finest coach before Bayern Munich stupidly fired him for Thomas Tuchel.
Currently the German national team manager, Nagelsmann most likely would not be hired until after the World Cup, and while Carrick should still get every opportunity to get the job and should not be snubbed for Nagelsmann, the former Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig ace is the one guy with the tactical acumen to take the job.
Manchester United hired his mentor Ralf Rangnick, but he had too much ego and too little flexibility; he was also set up to fail by a management that was not willing to listen to his great ideas. They hired him to ignore him. Nagelsmann has the same ideas but better for the modern game with a bit more humility.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.