Michael Carrick has returned to Manchester United as the club's head coach until the end of the season, a move confirmed on Tuesday night. The former United midfielder succeeds Ruben Amorim, who was sacked last week after 14 months in the role. Carrick expressed his deep connection to the club, stating, "It's an unbelievable feeling to come back through the doors and be part of the club again. It's been part of my life for so long. The fact that I left the club for a number of years, but it's never left me."

Carrick's history with Manchester United is extensive, having made 464 appearances as a player between 2006 and 2018. During his playing career, he achieved significant success, including winning the Champions League in 2008 and five Premier League titles. After retiring in 2018, he joined the club's backroom staff, serving as a coach under both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

This is not Carrick's first stint in a leadership role at Old Trafford. He briefly stepped in as caretaker manager in November 2021 after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking, overseeing a three-game unbeaten run that included wins against Villarreal and Arsenal, and a draw with Chelsea. During this period, he notably demonstrated his comfort with making significant decisions by benching Cristiano Ronaldo for the Stamford Bridge match.

Following his caretaker spell, Carrick spent over two-and-a-half years as manager of Middlesbrough, taking over in October 2022. During his tenure, he led them to the playoffs in 2023 and the semifinals of the Carabao Cup in 2024, before his recent return to Old Trafford. Sources indicate that his reputation as a hands-on coach played a key role in his selection over other candidates like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Carrick has assembled a robust coaching staff to support him, including Steve Holland, who served as Gareth Southgate's assistant for England, Jonathan Woodgate, with whom Carrick worked at Middlesbrough, former United defender Jonny Evans, and the club's under-21s coach Travis Binnion. Darren Fletcher, who was caretaker for the past two games, will return to leading the club's under-18s. Carrick emphasized the importance of this diverse team, noting, "It's probably the most important thing, to pull on different characters and different experiences." He highlighted Holland's experience with similar managerial changes, Woodgate's loyalty and challenging nature, Binnion's role in youth development, and Evans' deep understanding of the club.

The appointment, which followed meetings with CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, places Carrick in charge of a Manchester United side currently sitting seventh in the Premier League, three points off the top four. His reign will kick off with a challenging schedule, starting with the Manchester derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford this Saturday, followed by a daunting trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal on January 25. "There's a clear focus to have a big end to the season, we've got to put the team in the right place to do that," Carrick stated, adding, "The history [of Manchester United] is great but I'm fully aware that we're onto something new here and we need to grow and go in a good direction, which I feel we will." The expectation is that United will seek to appoint a new non-interim head coach in the summer.