{"id":20669,"date":"2026-01-17T05:25:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T05:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/17\/why-michael-carricks-recent-job-prepared-him-perfectly-for-the-manchester-united-challenge\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T05:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T05:25:17","slug":"why-michael-carricks-recent-job-prepared-him-perfectly-for-the-manchester-united-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/17\/why-michael-carricks-recent-job-prepared-him-perfectly-for-the-manchester-united-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Michael Carrick’s recent job prepared him perfectly for the Manchester United challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n
\n
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<\/h2>\n
\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Michael Carrick is honing his communication skills while working in the media (Image: Ash Donelon\/Manchester United via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Saturday he was supposed to be sitting next to me in the Premier League Productions studio covering derby,\u201d 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’.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
read more: Man United are ‘increasingly confident’ of signing Premier League star estimated at \u00a3100m<\/span><\/span>read more: Roy Keane slams Michael Carrick’s Manchester United coaching team over tense exchange with Gary Neville<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Michael Carrick plays the critic and talks to Steve Bower (Image: )<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Michael Carrick has covered Prime Video’s Champions League coverage this season (Image: Marc Atkins\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
He was United’s caretaker for three games in 2021 (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cBy 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.’<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt 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,\u201d Bower says. “The fact that he’s doing that and mainly watching this United team will definitely give him a head start.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Michael Carrick attended Manchester United training this week (Image: Ash Donelon\/Manchester United via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily Manchester United content from Mirror Football. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts<\/p>\n
\n
This article contains affiliate links and we receive a commission from any sales we generate from them. learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a349<\/p>\n
\u00a335<\/p>\n
sky<\/p>\n
Get the deal here<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025\/26 season, saving members \u00a3336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.<\/p>\n
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Manchester](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36559566.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2256208533.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36559364.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Steve-Bower-and-Michael-CarrickJPG.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36559542.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2235892566.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Manchester](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36559556.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-1236969113.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Manchester](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36556573.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2256259066.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"content](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article33404045.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\")
<\/div>\n