Michael Carrick has written his name into Premier League history following Manchester United’s victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford, becoming the first English manager ever to win at least eight of his opening nine home league matches in the competition.
The 44-year-old joins an elite group as only the sixth manager of any nationality to achieve the feat since Antonio Conte reached the same benchmark during Chelsea’s title-winning 2016/17 campaign. The win dealt Liverpool — the defending Premier League champions — a club-record 19th league defeat of the season, compounding what has been a deeply troubled campaign for Arne Slot’s side.
Since taking charge at Old Trafford, Carrick has recorded victories against some of the division’s most respected tacticians, including Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, and Unai Emery, steadily restoring Manchester United’s standing as a credible top-flight force.
Of particular significance is the Champions League qualification the result helped mathematically secure. United had been absent from European football’s premier club competition for two consecutive seasons, making Carrick’s achievement in guiding them back among the continent’s elite all the more notable given the circumstances in which he was appointed.
Despite the record and the tangible progress he has overseen, Carrick’s long-term future at the club remains unresolved. INEOS, the ownership group led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is reportedly continuing to assess a shortlist of external candidates for the permanent head coach position rather than moving immediately to confirm Carrick in the role.
Among those under consideration, according to reports, are Andoni Iraola, who is set to depart Bournemouth at the end of the season, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, and Germany national team coach Julian Nagelsmann. The breadth of the shortlist suggests INEOS intends to conduct a thorough process before making a final decision, regardless of Carrick’s results.
Carrick was initially brought back to Old Trafford in an interim capacity following the dismissal of his predecessor. His rapid transformation of the squad’s performances has generated considerable debate around whether INEOS should look beyond the club to fill the permanent vacancy or retain the man already producing results from within.
