Michael Carrick has the light touch Manchester United need for next chapter | Jonathan Liew

Something of an obsessive with tidiness, the interim coach has beaten all the club’s closest rivals in his short time in charge We’ll get on to the more pressing business of whether Michael Carrick deserves the full-time Manchester United job in a moment. There’s plenty to discuss: tactics and philosophy, character and comportment, the squad he inherited from Ruben Amorim and how United might strengthen it in the summer window. But first: I want you to imagine eating an entire dover sole with the bones left in, while under the gaze of the former England international Trevor Francis. You’re in a fancy restaurant in Birmingham. The sole arrives, the waiter asks whether you want it filleted, and because you don’t know what that means, you say no.

Naturally, you don’t want to look rude or foolish in front of your new manager. Meanwhile, Trevor Francis keeps watching. Jonathan Liew Something of an obsessive with tidiness, the interim coach has beaten all the club’s closest rivals in his short time in charge W e’ll get on to the more pressing business of whether Michael Carrick deserves the full-time Manchester United job in a moment. There’s plenty to discuss: tactics and philosophy, character and comportment, the squad he inherited from Ruben Amorim and how United might strengthen it in the summer window. But first: I want you to imagine eating an entire dover sole with the bones left in, while under the gaze of the former England international Trevor Francis.

The sole arrives, the waiter asks whether you want it filleted, and because you don’t know what that means, you say no. Naturally, you don’t want to look rude or foolish in front of your new manager. Meanwhile, Trevor Francis keeps watching. You keep doing your job. With three games remaining, Carrick has secured Champions League football for United in 2026-27 and beaten all four of their nearest rivals .

Does he actually want to play like this? And frankly, this is exactly the sort of touch United need right now. In their absence, United don’t need an ideologue, a university lecturer, a strutting peacock, a televangelist. Let’s be real here: does it actually matter who the Manchester United manager is? Explore more on these topics Share Reuse this content Something of an obsessive with tidiness, the interim coach has beaten all the club’s closest rivals in his short time in charge We’ll get on to the more pressing business of whether Michael Carrick deserves the full-time Manchester United job in a moment.

There’s plenty to discuss: tactics and philosophy, character and comportment, the squad he inherited from Ruben Amorim and how United might strengthen it in the summer window. But first: I want you to imagine eating an entire dover sole with the bones left in, while under the gaze of the former England international Trevor Francis. Naturally, you don’t want to look rude or foolish in front of your new manager. Meanwhile, Trevor Francis keeps watching. Michael Carrick has the light touch Manchester United need for next chapter | Jonathan Liew