Man Utd’s Unprecedented ‘Contract Offer’ to Michael Carrick Comes With Scars of the Past

Manchester United’s hierarchy appear to finally be learning some lessons from past mistakes, but it remains to be seen if Carrick will accept this unprecedented proposal.

Michael Carrick is the heavy favorite to become permanent Man Utd manager. | Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Manchester United have reportedly offered Michael Carrick a permanent contract to remain at Old Trafford, but only for the next two years.

Carrick initially took over his former side in January on a short-term deal until the end of the 2025–26 season. After Ruben Amorim paved the way for his own fiery exit and Darren Fletcher flailed as the short-term stop-gap, the club’s former midfielder was thrust into the dugout while a permanent boss was sought after. As it transpired, Carrick’s second interim spell has gone so well that United have been compelled to offer the 44-year-old a full-time position.

Only Manchester City have won more points than the Red Devils since Carrick defeated Pep Guardiola’s side upon his return to the touchline. The unfussy coach has also gotten the better of Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea to see United effortlessly breeze towards Champions League qualification and a near-guaranteed third-place finish.

Alternative options were considered—most notably Bournemouth’s outgoing Andoni Iraola—but it appears as though United have settled on Carrick. Having received the sign-off from co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club have offered the current incumbent a new deal until 2028, according to The Athletic.

While this proposal is thought to come with the option of a 12-month extension, Carrick would become the first full-time Manchester United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson age to be given a contract as short as just two years. Given the wreckage that has come during this uneasy era of dwindling dominance, some caution may not be amiss.

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Man Utd’s History of Hasty Appointments

David Moyes inherited a rebuild project. | John Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images

The most glaring misstep in Manchester United’s post-Ferguson journey was the first one the club took. With the express guidance of the retiring Scot, David Moyes was hired from Everton in the summer of 2013. There were many issues surrounding this transition, plenty of which fell outside of the manager’s control, but the decision to give Moyes a six-year deal has proven to be one of the most glaring. He would last less than one season.

Burned by that errant appointment, United exclusively handed out three-year deals to the club’s next five permanent managers. However, none of them lasted three seasons.

Louis van Gaal would subsequently reveal that he wanted a shorter contract after taking over United in 2014. “We always knew that the process would take three years [but] I wanted to sign only for two years,” the outspoken Dutch boss claimed at the start of May 2016, when his position was coming under increasing scrutiny.

“The club wanted me to sign for three years, not me. I signed for three years—so next year you will see me again.” Within a month, Van Gaal had been sacked in the tunnel of Wembley Stadium after winning Manchester United the club’s first FA Cup since Ferguson’s retirement.

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Man Utd’s Post-Ferguson Managers

Manager	Full-Time Appointment	Contract Expiry
David Moyes	July 1, 2013	June 30, 2019
Louis van Gaal	July 1, 2014	June 30, 2017
José Mourinho	July 1, 2016	June 30, 2019
Ole Gunnar Solskjær	March 28, 2019	June 30, 2022
Erik ten Hag	July 1, 2022	June 30, 2025
Ruben Amorim	Nov. 1, 2024	June 30, 2027

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All three of José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag would sign contract extensions yet still failed to last until the end of their initial three-year deals. While the circumstances of Ten Hag’s extension were the most bizarre—United were actively interviewing candidates to replace him before offering up fresh terms—the Solskjær case is the most instructive when it comes to Carrick.

Much like his former coaching colleague, Solskjær shone after taking over from a surly Portuguese predecessor on a purely caretaker basis. The Norwegian boss would be hastily offered permanent terms even before the end of the 2018–19 campaign in what has become an enduring example of United’s hurried decision-making process.

The fact that Solskjær took United to third and second place in his two full seasons at the helm is often overlooked, with his tenure branded a failure because of its explosive ending and a distinct lack of silverware. Carrick’s eerily similar caretaker spell, shining after taking over from a surly Portuguese predecessor, has been dogged by comparisons to Solskjær and warnings to avoid a repeat of that “failure.”

United’s decision-makers—the makeup of which has dramatically shifted since Solskjær’s reign—have deployed enough caution to resist the urge to hand Carrick the full-time gig while there were still objectives to achieve during the season. This surprisingly short two-year deal is another example of how the scars of United’s recent past are shaping their decisions today.

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