A higher win rate than Sir Alex Ferguson. Zero losses. The confidence to drop your star players and still get a result. Michael Carrick’s short stint as manager was the rarest of bright spots in an otherwise abysmal season for Manchester United fans. Having taken on the intermediary-intermediary role, between Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s sacking and the appointment of Ralf Rangnick, Carrick displayed a surprisingly high number of enviable managerial attributes in the mere three games he was in charge.

Two wins, away to Villarreal and at home to Arsenal, followed a tough draw at Stamford Bridge, in a match Chelsea only salvaged via a soft penalty. These results would be good at any point of United’s history, but within the context of that season, with the team on that run of form, they were as surprising as they were excellent.

Losses to Leicester (4-2), Liverpool (5-0), City (2-0) and Watford (4-1) indicated a team in free fall. The performances, however, were even worse than the results suggest. And the result of these results? Solskjær’s dismissal and a club plunged into crisis, reliant upon a group of players on the pitch at Vicarage Road who didn’t seem capable of getting a draw, let alone a win.

Carrick was able to steady the ship however. And he did it with calculated decisions which hinted at a capacity for the job in the full-term. Ronaldo was dropped for the first game at Chelsea, Carrick instead employing a 4-3-3 system with a false-9. Matic joined McFred in the centre of the pitch to provide steel and defensive cover to a team that had previously looked porous, while Bruno was played out-of-position up-front to offer energy and pressing. A hard-fought performance ensued which felt a million miles away, in terms of stamina and spirit, from the performance a week prior at Watford.

A trip to Spain followed three days later, with United needing a win against Villarreal to maintain control of their Champions League group. Solskjær had managed the team to an incredibly lucky win in the reverse fixture; a last-minute Ronaldo winner hiding what was an abject performance otherwise. Six months previously, the Norwegian coach had seen his team lose in the Europa League final to the Yellow Submarines in equally abject style.

Carrick, however, handled Villarreal with aplomb. Bruno was this time dropped, in favour of the much-maligned Donn van de Beek, and Ronaldo was reinstated. The result was a controlled performance delivering a 2-0 win, with Ronaldo scoring the opener. United moved into first in the group, having secured automatic qualification to the knock-out stage. Carrick was demonstrating an ability to succeed continentally, as well as domestically.

Old Trafford welcomed Arsenal four days later, with Carrick finally selecting Ronaldo and Bruno to start against a side who had won five out their last six. The Portuguese pairing put Arsenal to the sword however, in a thrilling 3-2 win, despite going a goal down, with Bruno scoring one and Ronaldo getting a brace.

Carrick would then choose this moment as the one to gracefully bow out. United released a statement immediately after the game detailing how Carrick would be stepping down as manager, and leaving the club completely, with Rangnick taking on the role. Carrick, an integral part of one of the club’s most successful periods, said he would ‘never forget [his] fantastic memories both as a player and as a member of the coaching team.’ Club captain Harry Maguire stressed how much the dressing room would miss him as he’d been ‘fantastic…in terms of his coaching.’

With how the remainder of that year would unfold, it’s safe to say that United would have been far better off sticking with Carrick until the end of the season. Rangnick failed for a variety of reasons, many which had little to do with him, but it was evident in those three games that Carrick was able to unite the dressing room, and extract a level of performance from a disparate group of players, that neither Ralf nor Ole could.

The former defensive midfielder possesses a unique perspective on management. Having spent years under the greatest coach of all time, Carrick has also been managed by José Mourinho and Louis van Gaal (Sorry Moyesy, you don’t make the cut for this part). These are seminal coaches within the modern history of football, with completely unique styles and approaches to the game; they represent a treasure trove of information, particularly from the different ways in which Mourinho and Van Gaal failed. Failure is often the mechanism by which success is revealed, and the contrast in success and failure between Sir Alex and his successors will have been crucial to witness first-hand. Carrick confirmed the value of being exposed to this in a recent interview, saying, ‘I think all the managers and coaches that I’ve worked with have had an impact and in different ways…It has definitely had an influence on me.’

Moreover, his negative experiences as a player will also undoubtedly guide Carrick as a manager. Pep Guardiola described the defensive midfielder as ‘one of the best I’ve seen’ yet for England Carrick remained an underutilised solution to an enduring midfield problem. England suffered internationally due the imbalance Lampard and Gerrard, two big-name players, experienced when played together. A manager with the confidence to drop one, in favour of the more defensively orientated Carrick, would have been a lifeline for England’s golden generation. It’s the type of decision Carrick himself demonstrated an ability to make in his brief time as manager, first dropping Ronaldo, then dropping Bruno, in favour of team cohesion. A reputation as a quiet yet steely individual had developed during his playing career, which now seems to be feeding into his coaching one.

Certainly this reputation Carrick cultivated for himself in his time has paid dividends. Middlesbrough officials were sufficiently impressed by his talents to select the former-United man to take the reigns at the Riverside. With the North England team languishing a mere one place outside the relegation zone, Carrick undoubtedly has a difficult job on his hands. But if one former United coach, who has dropped down the football pyramid to take on a managerial position, could offer hope to Carrick, it’s his former colleague at Ipswich – Kieran McKenna.

Ipswich made the bold decision to appoint McKenna, with no previous managerial experience, to the top job last season. And this year they are most certainly enjoying the fruits of that calculated gamble. Ipswich sit 2^nd in the league with the best goal difference, employing a proactive and dominant style of football.

If Carrick can mirror this level of performance at Middlesbrough then there may be regret at Old Trafford, having allowed two highly talented young coaches to leave the club without providing them with a platform to succeed; a platform Erik Ten Hag would have. Questions may have to be asked of Solskjær’s tenure, given the talent he had on the pitch and, seemingly, within his coaching staff. These won’t be questions Michael Carrick asks however. In his post-match interview after the Arsenal win, the departing coach opened by saying:

‘On behalf of myself and the coaching staff, I’d like to start by thanking Ole Gunnar Solskjær for the work he did in his time as manager.’

As classy off the pitch as he was on it.

Darragh Fox