‘That’s Mad Talk’—Man Utd Legends Divided Over Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick has beaten Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two games.

The 44-year-old is in charge until summer. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Rio Ferdinand has taken the opposite stance to former teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane in the debate over whether Michael Carrick deserves to be Manchester United’s next permanent manager.

Since being named interim boss earlier this month, Carrick has overseen hugely impressive wins over Manchester City and Arsenal, second and first in the Premier League respectively.

It took predecessor Ruben Amorim 11 months and 35 games to win consecutive league games. It eventually became a run of three straight victories as United beat Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion back-to-back-to-back in October. But he never did it again.

In stark contrast, Carrick achieved successive wins in his first 12 days in the job and needed only two games—against the best two teams in the country—to do it.

Off the back of the Manchester derby, the Arsenal result left Keane unmoved in his opinion on Carrick, whose wife the ex-United skipper recently described as a “big mouth” in a bizarre reopening of old beef from 2014. Carrick himself remains “not bothered” by it all.

Keane is so adamant in his belief that Carrick doesn’t warrant the job permanently, even a perfect record for the rest of the 2025–26 isn’t enough justification in his eyes.

“I think if United win every game from now until the end of the season, I still wouldn’t be giving him the job. I just think they need a bigger, more experienced manager. Simple as that,” Keane stated on Sky Sports. “I don’t believe he’s the man to get Manchester United back winning league titles.”

Gary Neville shared the opinion that Carrick lacks the overall stature to keep the job long-term, albeit with a less dismissive tone.

“Manchester United have acted emotionally a number of times in the last 12 years,” he said.

“I honestly could not be happier with the last two weeks. The familiarity in what I’m watching feels like I’m watching my team play again properly. They played properly, with intensity. I think it’s right that Carrick keeps the job until the end of the season and then hands the baton over to [Thomas] Tuchel or [Carlo] Ancelotti, someone of that world-class ilk.”

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Ferdinand: ‘The Disrespect Is Unbelievable’

There may be some validity to the concerns, given Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s outstanding record as an interim and ultimate failure to deliver trophies when it came down to it. But Ferdinand has taken particular exception to Carrick being written off by his fellow ex-players so quickly.

Ferdinand played alongside Carrick for three seasons longer than Neville, while Keane left the club under a cloud six months before his 2006 arrival and never shared a dressing room with him.

“Michael Carrick’s come in, turned the collar up on his long trench coat and said: ‘Listen guys, get behind me, I’m gonna put you in a structure that’s going to actually suit the players that we have, we’re going to be hard to play against, we’re going work hard, and we’re going be a threat. And, by the way, my first two games are Man City and Arsenal,’” Ferdinand declared via his YouTube channel.

The retired defender was incredulous over the response from his former teammates.

“He’s gone and got six points and people are telling me that, no matter what Michael Carrick does, he shouldn’t get the opportunity to manage Man Utd,” the retired defender exclaimed in disbelief.

“Where the hell are you people coming from? The disrespect is unbelievable.

“For somebody to say, no matter what this person does, he doesn’t deserve to be given the keys to Man Utd, on what grounds are you saying that? That’s mad talk.”

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