Some bookmakers have already stopped taking bets on it. Manchester United are set to formally open talks with Michael Carrick about becoming permanent manager, with chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox expected to recommend the appointment at an executive meeting this week.
When Carrick stepped in following Ruben Amorim's acrimonious exit in January, the conversation was largely about damage limitation. Third in the Premier League and Champions League football secured with three games still to play wasn't the script anyone had written for him. He's rewritten it himself.
From caretaker to front-runner
United have looked at other candidates. They always do. But Carrick has been the front-runner throughout, publicly backed by players and now quietly endorsed by the people who actually run the club. That combination — dressing room trust and boardroom confidence — is rarely achieved this quickly by anyone, let alone a first-time permanent manager candidate.
The turnaround in mood has been as striking as the results. This is a squad that looked fractured and directionless under Amorim. Under Carrick, it has functioned. That's not nothing — it's actually the hardest thing to fix.
One subplot worth watching before Sunday's final home game against Nottingham Forest: Casemiro's farewell to Old Trafford. The Brazilian confirmed in January he'd be leaving when his contract expires this summer, but he's been one of Carrick's most reliable performers since — five goals, present for every match except last Saturday's 0-0 at Sunderland. He's back in training along with Manuel Ugarte, who also missed that trip with a back complaint.
What the odds are already telling you
Suspended betting markets on a managerial appointment are rare. When they happen, it usually means the outcome is essentially settled. Anyone still holding a Carrick ticket at a decent price got in early and probably got lucky — the market figured this out weeks ago.
Carrick faces the media on Friday. Given what's expected to happen in the boardroom this week, it'll be one of the more loaded press conferences of his short tenure so far.
