Did Carrick deserve Manchester United job? Ex-Liverpool star explains

Ex-Liverpool star Jamie Carragher has offered a scathing assessment of Michael Carrick's managerial credentials, insisting he feels no sympathy for the 45-year-old following his recent dismissal by Manchester United.

Manchester United officially sacked Carrick on November 12 after a disastrous start to the 2026/27 campaign left the club languishing in 18th position in the Premier League table.

Speaking on The Overlap, Carragher argued that Carrick was fortunate to receive the prestigious appointment in the first place, pointing to a surprisingly thin managerial resume that did not warrant an elite Premier League role.

"Michael Carrick got the job on the back of nothing. He got the job on the back of basically playing for Man United," Carragher stated, referencing the midfielder's legendary 12-year playing career at the club between 2006 and 2018.

"I'm not sat here feeling sorry for Michael Carrick," he continued, dismissing the growing narrative that the manager was treated unfairly by the INEOS-led boardroom.

"He's not a manager who's been managing for 10 years, working all over the world to get this job at Manchester United. He had about two years at Middlesbrough, was doing a bit of punditry, then got the Man United job. They gave him it."

Prior to taking the Old Trafford job, Carrick's only permanent managerial experience came during a stint at Championship side Middlesbrough between October 2022 and June 2025.

He initially returned to Manchester United as an interim head coach in January 2026, replacing Ruben Amorim, and successfully steered the club to a third-place finish and UEFA Champions League qualification.

Carragher formally acknowledged that impressive initial run, highlighting the manager's tactical victories over key rivals "What he did to get them into the Champions League, the big games he won against Arsenal, Liverpool, all these games, he's done brilliantly," Carragher conceded.

Despite earning a permanent two-year contract in May 2026, Carrick failed to sustain that momentum, presiding over a systemic collapse during the opening months of the current season.

His final matches in charge included a difficult UEFA Champions League fixture against Roma and a chaotic 4-4 Premier League draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, where fans still chanted his name as he departed the touchline.

"He's had a couple of games, the Roma game and coming back for 4-4. Where they are in the table is obviously an issue, but that thing of the fans chanting his name as he's going off," Carragher noted, before delivering his final verdict.

"He got them in the Champions League but he was never at the calibre of managers in the Premier League," Carragher concluded. "The managers in the Premier League are the best in the world and he's just not quite at that level."

Manchester United have now turned their attention to former United States Men's National Team manager Mauricio Pochettino to salvage the fractured campaign.