Right so it looks like Manchester United might actually be doing something sensible for once and honestly that alone is worth writing about. Reports are coming out that they are in serious talks with Michael Carrick over a two-year deal to become permanent head coach at Old Trafford. Two years. An actual plan. From Manchester United. Someone check if hell has frozen over.
Look, Carrick makes a lot of sense and anyone who watched him during his brief caretaker spell after Solskjaer got the boot knows the man can actually coach. The players responded to him immediately. There was a calmness about it all. He came in, steadied the ship, won a few games, and then walked away with his dignity intact when Rangnick arrived. That takes character. Most people would have clung on for dear life.
The thing about Carrick is he has gone away and done the hard yards. Middlesbrough was not a glamour job. It was a proper roll your sleeves up and get on with it situation. He took them up to the Championship play-offs and showed he can actually build something with limited resources. That is exactly the kind of experience that translates when you are working under pressure at a big club.
Now obviously United being United there is every chance this falls apart in spectacular fashion before anything gets signed. They have turned the managerial merry-go-round into an Olympic sport at this point. But if they do get this over the line it feels like a genuinely interesting appointment rather than another desperate panic hire from a list of names they googled at midnight.
The real question is what backing he gets. A good manager with no money and no plan is just a well-dressed scapegoat. Carrick deserves a proper shot with proper support. If INEOS are serious about rebuilding United from the ground up then a young hungry British coach who knows the club inside out is not the worst place to start.
Cautious optimism. Emphasis very much on the cautious.
Let me know your thoughts.