Michael Carrick has earned the right to bring equilibrium to Manchester United | Daniel Harris

Julian Nagelsmann was an eye-catching presence on the touchline when in charge of RB Leipzig at Old Trafford in 2020. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

After a traumatic generation of tragicomic innovation, United finally seem to have realised that equilibrium and momentum are hard to find but easy to lose, worth risking only for a genius – which Nagelsmann may well consider himself to be. But given a pernickety style and abrasive personality, he would be an expensive and potentially disastrous risk.

Meanwhile Cesc Fàbregas and Xabi Alonso – also risks – would be difficult to hire for parochial reasons, and it makes sense to swerve Andoni Iraola, whose good work at Bournemouth is not so good it trumps Carrick’s in the job at hand. Nor is it certain his chaotic game-model – style of play – would be easily learned and tweaked in a truncated pre-season, or that its focus on transitions – counterattacks – can necessarily scale up – work – for a team seeking to control games.

Whether Iraola has the force of personality to deal with the pressure is also unclear, whereas Carrick has proved himself capable. He is not obviously magnetic but five Premier Leagues and a Champions League accord him charisma of status; his playing career, defined by composure, would have been impossible without osmium will; and he is succeeding at the cuddly parts, too. Or, as Kobbie Mainoo put it: “You want to follow him and fight for him and die for him.”

Over the past 12 years, United have slavishly and unsustainably replaced managers with their near-opposites. Now, though, with a functioning structure in place, there is the opportunity for continuity, a manager’s bona fides less critical if – if – good players keep arriving. A failed appointment is no longer disastrous and, should Carrick be sacked, his replacement will inherit a balanced and high-level squad built to fit various playing styles.

It is fair to note that, after a terrific first two games, levels declined for a period but, given limited defenders, an imbalanced midfield and a small cadre of reliable players, how could things have been any different? Typically, Carrick didn’t panic, keeping ideas simple and the framework loose, his team empowered with the freedom to make decisions and ordered, as Bruno Fernandes explained: “To be the main character every time.”

This trust is a major reason United are doing so well, underpinning the vibes – flexibility and creativity, solidity and resilience – that enabled them to win games in assorted ways, whether outplaying top teams, redeeming poor performances with late goals, absorbing pressure, overturning deficits or showing ruthlessness in firefights. This is possible only because the players have been properly platformed – picked in their natural positions – to give individual excellence the best chance of overriding weaknesses in system and personnel.

In the process, Carrick and his staff have devised different strategies for different games and game-states – situations – making the team unpredictable without deviating from the fundamental principles of what United should be. In almost every game, his players have sought to attack with intensity and verticality – directness – scoring different kinds of goals and risking defeat to win, the fast starts so effective under Ferguson also making a comeback.

Though most games have been close, that is almost unavoidable – every team is physical, with dangerous attackers who back themselves, so every game is hard, with many necessarily defined by counter-pressing – winning possession back quickly. But this is also by design: Carrick knows his squad is not yet good enough to dominate or control, so he’s making do by living on the margins, knowing he has the elite – top-class – firepower and box defenders – defenders – to get by most of the time.

The plan is to buy the reinforcements which facilitate greater dominance. With Carrick, United have already become a superb counterattacking outfit; the sense is that from here he envisages a side that controls possession with tempo and aggression, using central combinations – quick passes – and rotations – movement – to navigate tight spaces, with swift ball recoveries – tackles – sustaining attacks and pinning opponents back. Consequently, the focus is on midfield, and it makes sense to let Carrick the head coach replace Carrick the player, eight years after he retired.

Kobbie Mainoo said of Michael Carrick that the players ‘want to follow him and fight for him and die for him’. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

It’s true that United’s schedule has been sparse, but that is not necessarily advantageous. They are a young, developing team building automatisms – understanding – so the more they play together, the better they’ll get, while two games a week helps maintain fitness and rhythm. It doesn’t seem coincidental that the worst performance under Carrick followed a 24-day break.

Though it’s fair to wonder why there haven’t been greater improvements out of possession – off the ball – and in rest defence – concentrating – Carrick has acknowledged that, also warning that his team must become harder to play against – and his game management must improve. There may still be flaws in his fully realised style, but because he is less prescriptive they won’t be terminal in the way Amorim’s were, quality and mentality relied upon to resolve issues of coaching and tactics, not blamed for them.

Ultimately, to reject a head coach who has both won and entertained, to speculate on an unproven replacement, after 13 years of struggle, would be foolish. Of course there are reservations, as there should always be, but, for now, Carrick has earned the chance to cook – do his work.