Former club midfielder concerned about a repeat of the situation with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Manchester United should not rush into a decision over appointing Michael Carrick as their next permanent manager, according to Dimitar Berbatov.
Carrick has won four out of his four games in charge since taking over from Ruben Amorim – and Darren Fletcher – in January. But it is also the manner of the wins, the nature of the opponents, and the all-round performance of the team that is generating so much positivity around the 44-year-old.
As Fulltime Herald has showed, Carrick has not only made United a more stable and better attacking team but also improved the defensive side of their game.
It has led to calls to give him the permanent job rather than search for a new manager in the summer. Of course, only the most hot-headed and impulsive pundits or supporters would suggest giving a man the job after four games in charge, but if the club continues on their upward trajectory the calls will only grow stronger.
His former teammate Berbatov believes it is most prudent to wait.
“I am a bit biased of course, because I used to play with him and I want him to get the job but let’s wait until the end of the season and if they go the way they are right now, of course, why not?”, Berbatov said.
“We have seen what happened before with Ole Gunnar Solskjær. I think it was the same story so let’s not jump to conclusions yet. Let’s just enjoy game by game how United is improving and at the end of the season we will wait and see what happens.”
“He [Carrick] is in this position to show that he is capable of doing these things. So far in the games that we have watched, everything is just happening for the team and for him. Until the end of the season will be a test, and then we’ll see if Michael can get the job permanently.”
In 2019, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was handed the permanent role after winning his first eight games in charge, securing 14 wins from his 19 games as interim (two draws and three losses), and overturning a Paris Saint-Germain advantage to knock the French side out of the Champions League round-of-16 with a 3-1 win (3-3 agg) in Paris.
Notably, Solskjaer’s side slumped after he was handed a three-year contract, and there have been concerns of a similar slump should the club hand Carrick the permanent job.
Nevertheless, Berbatov praised the 44-year-old’s impact so far at the helm.
“I think he knows how to speak the language in a way to get the players at United to feel appreciated, to trust him and after that to get his ideas and put it in to play on the pitch,” Berbatov said.
“Obviously the manager is different and the system is different but the most important things, which are the players, are still the same.
“We can all see how they play now, they play with flair, with belief, with confidence and with arrogance when they need to, you know, like a team and it is a joy to watch right now.”
