Man Utd appoint Carrick as manager

Manchester United confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season on Tuesday, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the Champions League.
“Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honour,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year United career.
The former midfielder previously had a three-game unbeaten run as caretaker manager at Old Trafford in 2021.
Carrick then took up his first permanent coaching role at second division Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the Championship.
He has a daunting first task, preparing his men to face local rivals Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
United are seventh in the table but are in the race to qualify for the lucrative Champions League for the first time in three seasons.
The Red Devils are three points clear of fourth-placed Liverpool and just one point behind fifth-placed Brentford.
A top-four finish will guarantee Champions League qualification and a top-five finish is likely to be enough thanks to the strong performance of English teams in European competition.
“I know what it takes to succeed here; now my focus is on helping the players reach the standards we expect at this incredible club, which we know this group is more than capable of producing,” Carrick added.
“There is still a lot to fight for this season, we are ready to rally everyone and give the fans the performances their loyal support deserves.”
The Red Devils sacked Ruben Amorim last week after a miserable 14 months at Old Trafford for the Portuguese.
However, hopes of an immediate bounce back were dashed, with caretaker boss Darren Fletcher overseeing a 2-2 draw against Burnley in the Premier League and a 2-1 defeat by Brighton in the FA Cup.

Safe pair of hands
United’s exit from both domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle, as well as a lack of European football, means they will play just 40 games this season — their lowest number since 1914/15.
Carrick’s experience at United as both a player and manager is understood to have convinced the club’s hierarchy that he is the safe pair of hands needed in the coming months.
“Michael is an excellent manager and knows exactly what it takes to win at Manchester United,” said the club’s director of football Jason Wilcox.
“He is ready to lead our talented and determined group of players for the rest of the season as we continue to build the club towards regular and consistent success.”
After spells at West Ham and Tottenham, he moved to United, winning five league titles and the Champions League in a 12-year stay.
When his career came to a halt in 2018, Carrick joined the United coaching staff as assistant to Jose Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
After Solskjaer was sacked five years ago he briefly took charge of the first team, securing impressive results against Chelsea, Arsenal and Villarreal.
However, his time at Middlesbrough ultimately proved a disappointment.
Armed with one of the biggest budgets in the Championship, they reached the play-offs in his first season in charge, losing to Coventry over two legs in the semi-finals.
Boro finished eighth and 10th in Carrick’s two full campaigns in charge and he was sacked at the end of last season after failing to achieve promotion to the Premier League.