Why Michael Carrick’s recent job prepared him perfectly for the Manchester United challenge

Michael Carrick faces a baptism of fire as Manchester United’s interim head coach against Manchester City on Saturday, but his recent work as a pundit will put him in a good position

If things had gone differently at Manchester United, Michael Carrick would have been sitting in a TV studio on Saturday rather than inside the dugout at Old Trafford.

Carrick was enjoying his first proper break from the game since being sacked by Middlesbrough in June. He spent almost his entire life in the professional football bubble, and after retiring from playing in 2018, he went on to coach under manager Jose Mourinho.

Carrick suddenly found himself spending more time with his family on the golf course, but he made sure to stay connected to football through his media work. And if he hadn’t beaten former colleague Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to become United’s interim head coach, he would have spent the day with Steve Bower, whom he has known for 25 years.

“On Saturday he was supposed to be sitting next to me in the Premier League Productions studio covering derby,” Bower told Mirror Football. “He was booked but will be in the dugout instead. The last WhatsApp I received from him a week ago said: ‘Settle the golf match and see you at the derby’.”

Bower is the lead presenter on the Premier League’s global TV channel and enjoyed spending time with Carrick during the 2025/26 season. The 44-year-old covered around seven matches for the channel, which is broadcast around the world and watched by millions of people, and made a real impression as a pundit.

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“He’s a great pundit,” said Bower, who is also a Match of the Day commentator. “He talks like he’s the one playing and managing. He never gets condescending and abuses anyone, never gets too high and gives ridiculous praise. He looked at things from all angles.

“I’ve been doing this job for over 30 years, so I’ve seen pundits in all categories, and he’s a natural at talking about football. He’s a football nut, he understands the game, and when you look at how he played in that position, it’s very easy to see why.

“He’s great at not only saying things that we can all see, but also explaining why and how. When he speaks, I can hear the production staff go silent in my ears, because they’re all football fans, and they’re just fascinated and listening to him.”

“He’s part of a small group of people we use, Glenn Hoddle, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, where you watch a game and learn something in 90 minutes. Michael falls into that category. He’s a top draw.”

Punditry and coaching are the two most commonly followed paths for players after retirement, but success in both is not a given. Although Carrick has had success in both, coaching has always been his first love.

Bower interviewed Carrick, who was signed from Tottenham in 2006, for the first time as a United player on MUTV. He now considers me a friend and I could see how deeply he cares about the game.

“Michael became a coach because Mourinho said, ‘I want you.’ So he finished as a player on Wednesday and started as a coach on Thursday. It wasn’t something he had planned. You choose a path and things happen. He was going to follow his ideas.”

“By the end of his three games at United[as caretaker manager in 2021]I spoke to him and he said: ‘Yeah, I like this, but it has to be the right game.’

Three years later, after a Championship play-off semi-final and a Carabao Cup semi-final with Middlesbrough, he is now back in the place where he felt most at home during his playing days. So will Reuben Amorim’s time spent in the studio analyzing his team and clarifying his ideas give him an edge on this job?

“It definitely helps in terms of analysis, because if he didn’t do that and he was just watching Manchester United from the TV screen or the stands, it would be a different game and you wouldn’t see it the same way,” Bower says. “The fact that he’s doing that and mainly watching this United team will definitely give him a head start.”

United, coached by Carrick, sit seventh in the Premier League, just three points off the top four. He was appointed to stabilize the situation until a formal appointment is made in the summer.

“I think whatever happens, even if he doesn’t get back to the Champions League or the Europa League, he will,” Bower said. “His phone has been ringing, probably even before he joined United, but he was adamant about wanting time off. But personally this can only be positive for his coaching career.

“If things go wrong at Spurs, for example, he’ll definitely be at the top of the list. It’s a no-brainer for him. Whatever happens, I don’t think it will hurt him.”

Carrick is determined to do well in his second stint as United’s manager – and this time he’s putting a new string on his bow.

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