Carrick at Manchester United: sensible full-time option or reasons to be cautious? | Jamie Jackson

Michael Carrick’s Manchester United continue their quest for the Champions League places against Brentford on Monday. Photograph: Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

If Carrick oversees something similar after being installed by Wilcox, he and the director of football will need tin hats for the brickbats flung their way. Suddenly Carrick’s callowness will be scrutinised and flagged as the obvious reason why not to have appointed him. Assuming Champions League qualification, the impressive 17-match stewardship that got them there will be ancient history. And cited as job-threatening folly from Wilcox; a shortsightedness that assessed the dour dog days of Amorim, the Portuguese’s awkward 3-4-3 shape and emotional media conferences, and fooled the director of football into a rush to sign his antithesis: the mild-mannered Carrick whose lineage as a garlanded player under Ferguson marked him out as steeped in how United must perform.

Throw in the glaring precedent of Ole Gunnar Solskjær, whose own successful time as caretaker presaged a turbulent tenure as full-time head coach, and you can see how the line of criticism will run.

There is, of course, zero logic in presuming Carrick will mirror how the Norwegian fared. As he says: “You can compare to all sorts of different situations [with] managers and coaches and teams. It just depends on what you choose to compare. But it’s irrelevant really. That’s not a negative or a positive. It just doesn’t have a link at all.”

Yet you wonder if Carrick’s level-headedness means he will prove one-note when challenged. Are there different moods and tactical gears to move through if the side starts to flatline? Can he rouse players on the training ground if defeats start to spiral? Does he have the charisma to inspire, lift spirits?

Here, the 2-1 loss by Leeds a fortnight ago may be examined by Wilcox. The defeat is not the point, the manner of it is, as, 2-0 down at half-time, Carrick seemed to freeze before the Old Trafford crowd, waiting until 70 minutes to make substitutions. In the last game, the 1-0 win at Chelsea, United were again flat, relying on a smash-and-grab Matheus Cunha strike for victory. Are these outliers or evidence of an inability to react? Again: very difficult to know when he is so inexperienced.

Since Ferguson walked away in May 2013 United have hoped Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, Solskjær, Erik ten Hag and Amorim could replace a genius and add a 21st league title (at least) to United’s trophy room. All failed, so now it may be Carrick’s turn.

Ideally Luis Enrique, Paris Saint-Germain’s head coach, or Thomas Tuchel, the England manager, would be recruited next. But United never, truly, go for the best in class. Wilcox et al must believe Carrick can join the Spaniard and the German as an elite head coach, or what would be the point of hiring him?