How Michael Carrick won race to become Man Utd interim manager with hierarchy left irritated by Solskjaer idea

IF Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the manager at Manchester United, Michael Carrick was the coach.

That always made Carrick a more logical candidate than a manager who lasted eight months in his only job in the past eight years.

Carrick fits the Ineos profile: young, tactically astute and so calm he will not rock the boat.

His expected appointment mirrors United’s strategy to the last time they sacked a combustible Portuguese.

Solskjaer was hired to “put smiles back on people’s faces” after the fraught final months under Jose Mourinho in 2018.

Sources close to Carrick did not shout about his credentials from the rooftops last week. A friend of Carrick’s said he had gone “very quiet”.

Carrick began the year on holiday in Barbados with Wayne Rooney. Jonny Evans, also among the United old-boy entourage, flew home early after Darren Fletcher got in touch to see if he would assist United.

United fans still chanted Solskjaer’s name before kick-off at Burnley last week and he was the first former player to have his name aired during the 2-2 draw, followed by Carrick.

Carrick has managed in England more recently at Middlesbrough, where he was in charge for nearly three years.

Boro made the play-offs only once – in 2022-23. They currently occupy the second automatic promotion place.

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Plenty of Boro fans had come to the end of their tether with Carrick long before they ended last season in tenth.

“Lots of possession but players who didn’t know what to do with the ball,” one Boro fan said. “Very tedious build-up play. 

“Some of the worst defending I’ve seen in a while. Dreadful subs, and he wouldn’t make one before 70 minutes.”

For all the noise around Solskjaer, he was unable to sing from the same hymnsheet as United.

Solskjaer unashamedly acted like a manager at United under the old regime. The current one wants a coach.

It is Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada whose credibility has plummeted for even picking up the phone to Solskjaer.

As recently as this month, Solskjaer had no immediate plans to return to management, with the club schedule entering the second half of the season.

Even an unashamed optimist like Solskjaer had no inkling that he could be in the running to return to United.

Wilcox and Berrada were caught short by Ruben Amorim initiating his departure. That is on Wilcox for his tone in the infamous meeting on January 2 where Amorim “blew up”.

United sources have thrown their backing behind Wilcox and stressed he was entitled to offer feedback in the wake of the appalling 1-1 draw with basement club Wolves.

No United fan would blame Wilcox for that. But they do take umbrage with him likening his role to that of a “manager”.

They are also entitled to wonder how the former Southampton director of football is now more important than the head coach at United.

With no succession plan, the United brains trust whittled down their caretaker list to two former United caretakers who happened to live in the area.

Back in Manchester, there was practically a campaign whipped up on Solskjaer’s behalf. Friends of his enthusiastically talked up his chances of driving back into the club’s Carrington training complex.

Nearly half-a-dozen Norwegian journalists travelled to Manchester for United’s FA Cup defeat to Brighton.

Even Solskjaer’s old assistant, Mike Phelan, came out of the woodwork to do some co-commentary on Sunday.

By then, the Solskjaer machine had run out of steam. Carrick effectively emerged as the favourite after he spoke to United on Thursday.

There was also irritation at United over the drum-beating for Solskjaer, who became a predictable frontrunner in the immediate wake of Amorim’s sacking.

Middlesbrough were 21st when Carrick took over in October 2022 but he lifted them to the play-offs, where they were beaten by Coventry City in the semi-finals.

Lifting United looks as onerous as raising the Titanic.

The FA Cup ejection by Brighton has left the club and its supporters demoralised, with a meagre 17 games scheduled between now and May 24.

City arrive at Old Trafford at Saturday lunchtime.

The last derby Carrick was involved in was also Solskjaer’s final home game in charge of United.

They lost 2-0 and had more attempts on target at their own goal than they did at City’s.

Some United figures were actually unhappier with the manner of that defeat than the 5-0 annihilation by Liverpool two weeks earlier.

Solskjaer was very visible after he returned to England’s north-west following his sacking by Besiktas in August.

But over the last few days, he bunkered down and his representatives and campaigners suddenly went quiet.

Somebody else, believed to be Solskjaer’s agent Jim Solbakken, was at the wheel of his Range Rover last week.

It looks like Ole will not be at the wheel for United.