Man Utd reach agreement to appoint Carrick manager

Manchester United have reached an agreement with Michael Carrick to become the club’s permanent head coach.

The formal process of exchanging contracts is now under way, with an announcement expected inside the next 48 hours.

As things stand there is some doubt over whether the formalities can be completed before Sunday’s match against Nottingham Forest, but there is a will to have it done in time for the club’s final home game of the season.

Carrick will sign an initial two-year deal with the option of an additional 12 months.

Carrick has overseen a vast improvement at Old Trafford since replacing Ruben Amorim, who was sacked in January, successfully leading the club to Champions League qualification.

His impressive body of work since his interim appointment has put the 44-year-old in pole position to become the club’s next permanent boss.

United’s executive leadership team, that includes chief executive officer Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, has recommended to club owners Ineos that Carrick be handed the reins on a full-time basis – which has been passed by the hierarchy.

When Carrick was appointed as Manchester United‘s head coach on a short-term basis in January, the club headed into the process with an open mind.

Amorim’s reign didn’t go according to plan, yet there was so much still to play for.

Carrick, in turn, has rescued the club’s season. Champions League qualification appeared a pipedream when Carrick took charge.

Yet the transformation under the 44-year-old has been impressive and speedy. United will finish third if they avoid defeat against Nottingham Forest on Sunday – not a prospect that seemed at all feasible when Carrick took charge.

So, with that in mind, United’s open-minded approach to the appointment of their next permanent boss soon became a one-horse race.

Carrick gave them no choice. Detractors may point to a lack of alternatives, but how could they have not awarded the position to their former midfielder?

Time will tell if it is ultimately the right decision. But in the here and now it looks every inch the correct call.

This has been a possible outcome since 25 January, 12 days after Carrick was appointed as Amorim’s replacement ahead of former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Carrick had already beaten Manchester City – but Amorim, Solskjaer and others had done that. Despite their reduced status, raising their game against their rivals from across town had not been an issue.

When United beat Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, thanks to Matheus Cunha’s late goal, it was different, the first hint at Carrick bringing something more substantial to Old Trafford.

For the next three months, he batted away various questions about his future; whether he wanted the job, if he had spoken to the hierarchy about the job, if he was involved in recruitment meetings, whether it was important for potential signings to know who the manager was going to be next season.

At the same time, various candidates for the job were ruled out. Thomas Tuchel signed a contract extension with the Football Association. Carlo Ancelotti moved towards doing the same with Brazil, which is now done. PSG let it be known they were well down the road of agreeing a new deal with Luis Enrique.

Another option, Crystal Palace‘s Oliver Glasner, became embroiled in a dispute with the ownership of the London club that seemed to be heading towards an exit. Palace had already been beaten by non-league Macclesfield in the FA Cup.

All the while, Carrick kept winning matches. Four in a row to start with, six out of seven until a first defeat – at Newcastle – which the club’s hierarchy blamed on the players rather than the man in the dugout.

The home defeat by Leeds on 13 April was on the manager, who made a mistake in starting Manuel Ugarte when Kobbie Mainoo was ruled out through injury.

United’s response; three successive wins against rivals for a Champions League spot; Chelsea, Brentford and Liverpool, answered key questions about Carrick’s suitability for the job.

By now, key figures in the dressing room – it started with Amad Diallo during the April training camp in Dublin and was followed by Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Cunha, Mason Mount, Senne Lammens and Casemiro – were calling for Carrick to stay.

The evidence was overwhelming.

Ditching Carrick had become a bigger risk than keeping him and shortly United will confirm he has the job.