24 Apr 2026 10:15 BST |
5 min read
Michael Carrick’s results at Manchester United may not be enough to win over owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who seems to believe that the Englishman lacks one key X-factor in his personality to lead the club on a permanent basis.
Ratcliffe, it seems, has a very clear idea about what sort of manager he wants at Old Trafford – and that does not spell positive news for Carrick.
Despite coolly leading United to third position in the Premier League, making a return to the Champions League all but a certainty, the 44-year-old lacks a key personality trait that the Ineos supremo admires. And this puts his long-term future at the club under threat.
Ratcliffe ‘hesitating’ over Carrick
Man Utd are ‘cautious’ about appointing Carrick on a permanent basis, with Ratcliffe not fully sold on the former midfielder.
“There’s a sense of some hesitancy, or some caution, from the hierarchy,” The Athletic’s Man Utd correspondent Laurie Whitwell explained on Talk of the Devils.
“I think Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a pivotal figure in this – on whether Carrick should get the job, whether Ratcliffe would want somebody that is of a personality, a stature, that he would see as fitting Manchester United.”
Carrick does not possess the ‘alpha’ characteristics of the type of leader that Ratcliffe admires, The Athletic has previously reported. He is said to be ‘drawn to alpha characters’ like Ruben Amorim because he was the type of leader who ‘fought fire with fire’.
Man Utd want ‘alpha’ leader
Carrick cuts a more malleable, pragmatic figure than his predecessor, but this has not convinced Ratcliffe, who appears happy to wait it out until the end of the season before making a call on the Englishman.
His ability to deal with the pressure of being Man Utd manager appears to count for little in the eyes of the owner.
“The pressure is something I have lived with for a long time,” Carrick told Sky Sports.
“What’s expected here, how to go about achieving things, the amount of support we have, and the scrutiny is something that becomes normal after a while.
“It does not feel as big as it probably looks from the outside for me personally.”
To his credit, he is also approaching his interim role with a long-term view of Man Utd’s future in mind.
Speaking on Thursday, he said: “There are instant results and the next game being important; but there’s definitely a responsibility, our thinking of what the future looks like and the bigger picture.
“There are all sorts of what-ifs in this world. Half full, half empty? I like to live my life in a positive way.
“I don’t think of what could go wrong, that doesn’t come into it. It’s what can be achieved. What success looks like.”
Carrick remains in pole position
Despite Ratcliffe’s misgivings, Carrick still appears well placed to become Man Utd’s next manager. He has won an impressive eight of 12 matches in charge of the club and has driven their rise from seventh into the Champions League spots.
All routes to his preferred ‘alpha’ options appear blocked. Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann are unlikely to be considered due to their World Cup commitments, while Luis Enrique is poised to sign a new three-year deal with PSG.
Andoni Iraola, who will leave Bournemouth in the summer, is considered to be a prime candidate to take over at Chelsea, meanwhile.
Carrick looks destined to become Man Utd’s manager, but that does not mean that Ratcliffe is necessarily happy about it.
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