Ten games. That's all Michael Carrick has had. Wins over Arsenal and City, a late loss to ten-man Newcastle, a draw at Bournemouth. Good, not transformed. And United are already being pressured to make a permanent call.
Don't. Not yet.
The Ole Solskjaer comparison is sitting right there and it cannot be ignored. Ole flew out of the traps — epic start, sheriff's badge handed over too early by people who genuinely didn't know what they were doing. Making the same mistake with Carrick would be, as one supporter put it, "utterly ridiculous." That early-tenure honeymoon is not a résumé. Carrick has steadied the ship, but there's no body of work yet to suggest he can sustain it over a season, let alone two or three.
The case for waiting is stronger than it looks
The fan debate breaks down into three rough camps: those who think managers need time, those chasing a big name, and those who think you don't change what's working. In reality, all three positions point to the same conclusion — wait until the season ends before deciding anything.
If United qualify for the Champions League from here, Carrick would be unlucky not to get serious consideration for the permanent role. If they don't, the conversation changes entirely. The squad's ceiling will have been tested, and the result will tell you something real about the manager — not just his ability to spark a revival, but to carry one.
The alternatives aren't screaming for attention either. Nagelsmann is decent, but has largely operated in a weak Bundesliga and was sacked mid-season at Bayern. That's not a compelling upgrade. Luis Enrique — Champions League winner with two clubs, PSG playing some of the best football in Europe — is the name that genuinely excites, but he won't come cheap and won't come easy.
Slot's squad management draws unexpected fire
Elsewhere, Arne Slot is taking heat — not just from pundits, but from supporters who think his squad rotation failures are self-inflicted. The argument: Liverpool have spent heavily, but Slot's loyalty to a settled first eleven has left fringe players like Quansah, Elliott and Jones feeling sidelined and undervalued. The knock-on effect? A knackered core, an inability to sustain back-to-back performances, and a manager complaining about fixture congestion while partly having created the problem himself.
FSG's squad depth decisions deserve criticism too. But a manager who doesn't know how to keep 25 players engaged and ready in a 60-game season is going to hit a wall eventually. Liverpool may be hitting theirs now.
Back at Old Trafford, the smartest move is the simplest one: let the season play out, see where United finish, and make a decision with actual evidence. Seven games left. That's not a long wait for a choice that could define the next decade.
