Michael Carrick has done the unthinkable at Manchester United—and the question now is: what are the club waiting for?
After guiding the Red Devils back into the Champions League following a two-year absence, the interim boss has transformed a squad that looked lost into a team that fights for every inch. And nobody sums that up better than young Kobbie Mainoo.
"You want to follow him. You want to fight for him. You want to die for him on the pitch. We showed that today," Mainoo told Sky Sports after United's thrilling 3-2 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford.
The 21-year-old's words carried extra weight. This is a player who, just months ago, was on the verge of being shipped out on loan to Napoli. He didn't start a single league game in the first five months of the season. By January, he was bracing for tough talks about his future—until Ruben Amorim was shown the door and Carrick stepped in.
Now, Mainoo has a new long-term contract and a 77th-minute winner against Liverpool to his name. The transformation is nothing short of remarkable.
"Watching him play, you really can see the difference that Carrick has made," said former Manchester City defender Micah Richards on BBC Sport. "The previous manager didn't believe in him, and then the new manager came in and gave him so much confidence. You can see that self-belief in his performances."
But Mainoo is just one piece of the puzzle. Since taking the reins for the remainder of the season, Carrick has ticked off a checklist that would make any manager proud:
He restored captain Bruno Fernandes to his favorite position. He masterminded wins over City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Liverpool—including United's first league double over their fiercest rivals since 2015-16. And, of course, he secured that coveted Champions League spot.
Yet, true to form, the 44-year-old former midfielder isn't one to boast about his achievements.
"Whatever it is going to happen is going to happen," Carrick said when pressed on his future. But in his post-match briefing, he offered a glimpse of his mindset: "I love doing what I am doing. It feels pretty natural. To be sat in this position is a good position to be in."
For months, critics have focused on what Carrick is not. He's not a big-name appointment. He doesn't have the flashy resume of a Luis Enrique or a Mauricio Pochettino. But what he is—is a man who has turned a fractured dressing room into a unit that believes again.
Unless the club can land a proven elite manager like Enrique, it's getting harder to argue against giving Carrick the job permanently. The players believe in him. The results speak for themselves. And the Champions League anthem will soon be ringing through Old Trafford once more.
What more are United waiting for?