Manchester United find themselves in a familiar crossroads as the club debates whether to hand Michael Carrick the permanent head‑coach role, a situation that mirrors the path Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once walked to secure his full‑time appointment. Since Carrick took over from Rúben Amorim in mid‑January, United’s results have been impressive, yet questions about his long‑term suitability persist, many of which stem from inevitable comparisons with Solskjaer, who also steadied the ship after a turbulent spell under a Portuguese manager. Carrick has brushed aside the Solskjaer parallels as "irrelevant," but that dismissal does little to silence a narrative that has already taken hold among fans and pundits.
The key question remains: is the comparison fair? Solskjaer oversaw 13 Premier League games before being awarded the permanent job in 2019, having initially arrived from Molde as a caretaker.
Carrick has now overseen exactly the same number of league fixtures, giving us a clean data set to compare their early tenures. In pure points terms, Solskjaer holds a slight advantage, collecting 32 points out of a possible 39, three more than Carrick’s tally after 13 games.
His side also found the net 29 times, five more than United have under Carrick, while conceding three fewer goals. However, Solskjaer’s run featured matches against all three clubs that eventually went down that season, and only four of his fixtures were against teams that finished in the top half of the table in 2018/19. Carrick’s schedule, by contrast, has been tougher.
Since replacing Amorim, United have faced seven opponents that were positioned 10th or higher at the start of each weekend, and only a single club currently languishing in the relegation zone. This tougher fixture list partly explains the slight dip in goal output and points accumulation.
One of Solskjaer’s standout results was a 1‑0 away victory at Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham, who ended the campaign in fourth place. Marcus Rashford’s precise finish, set up by a lofted pass from Paul Pogba, proved decisive, with David De Gea making crucial saves to preserve the win. Carrick, however, can claim an even more impressive pair of marquee victories in his first two games: United defeated the league’s two strongest sides, Manchester City and Arsenal, in successive fixtures, showcasing a capacity to rise to the occasion against elite opposition.
Carrick’s side also secured a win over Aston Villa, a club on course for Champions League qualification, thereby reinforcing United’s hold on third place in the table. When Carrick dismissed the Solskjaer comparisons, he argued that every manager operates under a unique set of circumstances – a point that holds considerable merit. Indeed, Solskjaer was juggling both the Champions League and the FA Cup, while Carrick has enjoyed a relatively relaxed mid‑week schedule, even enjoying a 24‑day break between league games at one point this season.
Across all competitions, Solskjaer oversaw 19 matches in 86 days, whereas Carrick has managed 13 matches over a longer 101‑day span. The quality of players available also matters. Solskjaer’s pool included the likes of Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sánchez, Juan Mata, Fred and Scott McTominay.
Carrick, on the other hand, has drawn from a different set of options, such as Noussair Mazraoui, Patrick Dorgu, Mason Mount, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Manuel Ugarte, Benjamin Šeško and Joshua Zirkzee, among others. From a purely league‑position perspective, Solskjaer ranks as one of United’s more successful post‑Ferguson appointments, yet his legacy is clouded by criticism of the team’s playing style. United under Solskjaer often relied on moments of individual brilliance rather than a coherent tactical identity, limiting their ability to challenge for major trophies.
Carrick’s best performances have similarly come against possession‑heavy opponents, allowing his side to exploit counter‑attacking opportunities – a pattern evident in the wins over City and Arsenal. This similarity has fueled the narrative that Carrick is simply a repeat of Solskjaer, a notion not entirely surprising given his former role as the assistant coach. Statistical analysis of the first 13 league games for each manager reveals clear parallels: Carrick’s United have recorded more fast‑breaks per game, likely a by‑product of the tougher schedule. The most noticeable difference lies in headed goals, with United under Carrick scoring more from set‑pieces – a valuable asset in a Premier League where dead‑ball efficiency is increasingly decisive.
Understanding the context each manager inherited is also crucial. While both Amorim and José Mourinho share Portuguese nationality, their relationships with the squad differed markedly. Solskjaer arrived amid a toxic atmosphere left by Mourinho, whose public feud with Paul Pogba and perceived isolation in the Lowry Hotel contributed to a divided dressing room.
Amorim’s exit was dramatic, involving a heated press conference where he openly challenged director of football Jason Wilcox before being dismissed. Despite these off‑field issues, there is little evidence that Amorim had lost the dressing room in the same way Mourinho did. United lost three of Mourinho’s final eight games before his sacking after a 3‑1 defeat at Liverpool, whereas under Amorim the club lost only one of his last eight fixtures and won three.
In summary, both Carrick and Solskjaer were handed the task of making relatively simple adjustments to rectify the shortcomings of two stubborn predecessors. Solskjaer needed to inject optimism into a squad reeling from Mourinho’s negativity, while Carrick’s primary tactical tweak was a return to a back‑four formation to improve defensive stability. Both have faced their own unique challenges, and the debate over which interim audition was superior continues to spark lively discussion among United supporters.