BREAKING: Carrick begins interim role at Manchester United

Michael Carrick has arrived at Manchester United’s Carrington training base after agreeing to take over as the club’s caretaker manager until the end of the season.

The 44-year-old former midfielder was pictured driving into the training complex on Tuesday morning and is expected to complete formalities ahead of an official club announcement.

Carrick replaces Darren Fletcher, who had stepped in on an interim basis following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim.

Carrick’s first match in charge will be Saturday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford, followed by a league trip to Arsenal.

Interim appointment confirmed

Carrick returns to the Old Trafford dugout having previously served as caretaker manager in late 2021 after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s exit.

On that occasion, he oversaw three matches before Ralf Rangnick’s appointment as interim boss.

United are understood to have held discussions with both Carrick and Solskjaer regarding the current role, with the club opting for Carrick to oversee the final 17 matches of the campaign.

His appointment comes after a three-year spell at Middlesbrough, which ended at the conclusion of last season.

During his time at Boro, Carrick won just under half of his 136 matches, recording a 46.3 per cent win rate. The club finished fourth, eighth and tenth in the Championship, with his record the strongest among Middlesbrough managers in the division since their 2017 relegation.

Backroom staff and short-term objectives

Darren Fletcher, who guided United to a 2-2 draw at Burnley and an FA Cup exit to Brighton, is expected to return to his Under-18s role.

Carrick’s coaching team is set to include former England assistant manager Steve Holland as his deputy, alongside Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans and Under-23s coach Travis Binnion.

United are already out of the FA Cup and League Cup and failed to qualify for European competition, leaving the Premier League as their sole focus.

The reduced schedule means the club will play 40 matches this season, their lowest total since the 1914-15 campaign.

Carrick also has public backing from Cristiano Ronaldo, who said in 2021: “Michael Carrick was a class act as a player and he can become a great coach as well.”