'I played for Man Utd – the club's bosses must avoid making ridiculous decision this summer'

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The Manchester United hierarchy have been cautioned that they won't be able to show their faces in public if they overlook Michael Carrick for the permanent role at Old Trafford – if the club struggles under his replacement. The stark warning comes from ex-United forward Michael Owen , who believes Carrick is a certainty for the Old Trafford hot seat on a full-time basis and it would be "ridiculous" for the club to contemplate another contender.

Carrick assumed control of United on a caretaker basis following Ruben Amorim's dismissal in January. The 44-year-old has overseen 12 Premier League matches, securing eight victories, two draws and suffering two defeats. He currently has United sitting in third position after United beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

His average of 2.16 points per match equates to 82 points across a full season. Unsurprisingly, Carrick remains the clear frontrunner to be United's manager next term.

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Former England frontman Owen cannot envision a situation in which Carrick isn't handed the job on a permanent footing, despite United being linked with figures such as PSG boss Luis Enrique and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.

Owen, who now works with Casino.org, a platform helping players find UK casino brands , told Mirror Football : "I would give [Carrick] the job, 100%. Manchester United have faltered for years, like for a dozen years now."

"It's been really painful for Manchester United fans, I'm sure. All of a sudden, Michael Carrick has come in and has done really, really well, and won a load of games, and in fact, if you started the league when Michael Carrick took over, Manchester United are top of the league.

"Why on earth wouldn't you [offer him the job]? What's going through anybody's head if you wanted to change it? If they'd been brilliant for so long and it was just an interim thing and you're just so confident that no matter what manager came in, then fantastic.

"Bear in mind some of the great managers they've gone through everything, ex-players, legendary managers, serial winners, you know, they've gone through the whole lot, the whole shebang and nothing really has worked. And now all of a sudden they've found something that's working, they're getting better. Why on earth would they switch now?

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"Imagine if they said, 'Right, thanks for your work, Michael. Now we're going to go with somebody else.' And it was back to the c*** that Manchester United fans have seen for the last 10, 12 years. You wouldn't be able to come out of your house. Whoever made that decision won't be able to.

"It'd be the most ridiculous decision ever. I just cannot, for the life of me, understand why. What's the worst that can happen? Michael Carrick can start next season, lose 10 games on the spin, and you can say, 'Right, okay. It was a honeymoon period. It's not working.'

"Well, that's the worst that can happen. But the best that can happen is they continue the way things are going. And, as I say, they're top of the league, if they continue this for another 20-odd games, they win the league.

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"It's like, Man United, about six months ago, were a million miles away from it. A million miles. Now, I'm not saying Man United are going to win the league, but I tell you what, if they just continue what they're doing now [they could find themselves in contention]."

Carrick is currently serving his second spell as United's caretaker manager, having briefly taken the reins in November 2021 following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal. Owen believes the former United midfielder has rescued the club from a prolonged slump, even steering them away from the sort of relegation strife that Tottenham Hotspur has suffered this season.

"They could have been another Tottenham," he added. "So, why on earth would it even be a question that Michael Carrick's not going to get the job? It baffles me why there is a debate. I can't understand why ex-players are also against it. I think it's a no-brainer."

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