Some people at Manchester United were hoping to sign Luis Enrique as their next permanent manager before settling on Michael Carrick.
While we’re still awaiting the official announcement, the Red Devils have all but agreed to confirm Carrick for next season.
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The former England midfielder has been highly effective since taking over from Ruben Amorim in January. His appointment as interim coach proved to be the right call, as he succeeded in guiding the team back to the Champions League and has already guaranteed a Top 3 finish.
However, Carrick wasn’t necessarily everyone’s first choice for the role.
Man United dreamed about signing Luis Enrique
As reported in recent months, Carrick’s chances have been boosted by the lack of top names available on the market, including Luis Enrique, who has been linked with the MUFC role.
Nevertheless, it is understood that the Spanish tactician is close to reaching an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to extend his contract beyond 2027.
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona star has been delivering sensational results since arriving in the French capital in 2023. He has already guided PSG towards their first Champions League trophy last season, and they’ll be looking to replicate this achievement when they meet Arsenal in the final next week.
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But according to Fabrizio Romano, ‘important’ people at Man United considered Enrique their ‘secret dream’. The Italian journalist revealed as much in the latest video posted on his official YouTube channel.
Between January and February, these MUFC officials tried to lay the groundwork to bring the Spaniard to Carrington. However, they gave up after realising that the 56-year-old is destined to stay at PSG.
Entrusting Michael Carrick was the best plausible choice for Man Utd
Despite their struggles over the past few years, Man Utd remain one of the biggest clubs in the world, and it is only normal that they pursue the most renowned managers in the sport.
Nevertheless, the circumstances can always prompt the hierarchy to take a different direction. In addition to Enrique, United also found the doors closed for other top names, like Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel, and Julian Nagelsmann, who could be set to stay with their current national teams, or at least won’t be available until the end of the World Cup, thus ruling them out of the running. The summer tournament is effectively freezing the managerial market — those tracking the international tournament outright will know how much is riding on these coaches delivering for their nations this summer.
But the good news for MUFC is that they found themselves a potent coach in Carrick, who hasn’t done anything to hurt his chances over the past five months. On the contrary, the Wallsend native has ticked every box by producing impressive results, an improved brand of football, looking after the academy, and avoiding all sorts of controversy and unwanted attention.
All in all, the lack of big names has certainly boosted Carrick’s case, but he also did his part formidably.
enrique would fail at Utd because we don’t have a squad capable of championship wins.
Carrick’s the man, write summat new FFS!
While I do not place high hopes on Carrick, I also do not put these continental managers any higher then him. None of the blokes from the continent succeeded at Utd. ETH and Amorim were the worst that United ever had.
Best manager since sir alex ferguson era