SEVEN years ago, Manchester United were in the top five and had suffered only one Premier League defeat under a manager hired mid-season.
Then they made the fatal error of making Ole Gunnar Solskjaer their permanent manager during the March international break.
United won two and lost six of their final ten matches and missed out on Champions League qualification.
There was the biblical 4-0 hiding by Everton on Easter Sunday, four days after Solskjaer had a very different three-goal experience at Camp Nou. Barcelona beat United 3-0.
Relegated Cardiff City beat United, then they dropped points at relegated Huddersfield Town – Solskjaer was in over his head.
He was disadvantaged by a few wantaways. Romelu Lukaku and Ander Herrera got their way. Paul Pogba didn’t and would continue to cause a commotion over three more trophyless years at United.
United are again in the top five and have lost once under their incumbent mid-season coaching appointment who also played for the club.
Michael Carrick has already admitted something would have to have “gone wrong” if his job title is upgraded before the season ends. It won’t be.
United stated at the time that Carrick was parachuted in on January 13 that they would conduct a “thorough process for a permanent coach”.
Deviating from that would sound alarm bells. The rationale for Solskjaer’s reward in 2019 was that it was a case of “the sooner, the better”.
There was no advantage to the premature promotion. United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League adversely affected who they could target that summer.
United brought in three signings – Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire – and negotiated via a peculiar one-at-a-time strategy.
James was playing in the Championship while Wan-Bissaka and Maguire were at mid-table clubs Crystal Palace and Leicester City. Not exactly big-hitters.
This time around, it is telling that nothing concrete has emerged about any external options being lined up.
“They could be keeping things tight,” a source who deals closely with United said. “But that seems unlikely.”
United sources insist they are in no rush, with seven games of the season left to play, and they have not interviewed or spoken to any external coaches.
By virtue of Carrick’s record of seven wins, two draws and one defeat, he will come under consideration.
He has impressed United’s power brokers by how quickly he galvanised the squad and the improvement in results and performances. United won four successive games for the first time in two years in February.
United are third in the Premier League table and Carrick is one win shy of equalling the eight that Ruben Amorim achieved this season.
Club officials’ assessment of Carrick is not one-eyed, either. There was disappointment at the failure to beat West Ham, Newcastle and Bournemouth, while they acknowledge certain wins were fortuitous.
Ineos tend to keep their cards close to their chest. United director of football Jason Wilcox has not spoken to any external media and chief executive Omar Berrada has not curried favour anywhere near as much as Ed Woodward used to.
There has not even been a peep about contact with out-of-work coaches. Some were of interest to United when they planned to sack Erik ten Hag in May 2024.
Steve Holland, a boyhood United fan, was optimistic about working at the club one day alongside Sir Gareth Southgate but is instead assisting Carrick.
Thomas Frank was interviewed by United two years ago but has longer odds than Wayne Rooney after he took Tottenham towards the Championship.
Roberto de Zerbi has let it be known he would fancy a crack at Spurs., ie a Premier League job he may have a shot at.
A week barely goes by without one of Carrick’s old team-mates or friends urging United to just give him the job.
Carrick attended Wayne Rooney’s wedding and their sons are in the United academy, a vested interest not highlighted during Rooney’s numerous punditry and podcast appearances.
This time four years ago, United had settled on Erik ten Hag as Solskjaer’s permanent replacement.
Back then, it was apparent for months that it was a shootout between Ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino. The United dressing room leant towards Pochettino but football director John Murtough opted for Ten Hag.
The chances are that after United’s season ends at Brighton on May 24, there will be another end-of-season review, as there was in the wake of the 2024 FA Cup final.
That bought United time so they could try and explain why they would not sack Erik ten Hag having spoken to every Tom, Dick and Harry about replacing him.
The review drew conclusions that had long since been concluded and it was reported two days after the Cup final that Ten Hag was likely to be kept on.
Do not be surprised if there is a similar wait for a puff of white smoke after United play at Brighton.
Carrick is well placed to comment on how things can go “wrong” when there is an unnecessary change in plan before a run-in.
He was in the dugout with Solskjaer during his caretaker and permanent tenures.