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Sports Betting Marc Atkins Nobody, surely not even Manchester United, expected Michael Carrick to have such a profound impact as the club’s interim manager. In seven games under Carrick, United have won six and dropped points just once. Their current run of form has pushed them up to third place in the Premier League table, making Champions League qualification a realistic target. Advertisement This begs the question: should Manchester United appoint Carrick permanently? Is it worth hiring someone else when the former midfielder’s common sense revolution has already fixed so many problems? Priced at 10/11 to be United manager for the first game of the 2026-27 season, Carrick appears to have a good chance of landing the job beyond the summer. At 5/1, Oliver Glasner is the next shortest price, with the Austrian coach already confirmed to be leaving Crystal Palace when his contract expires at the end of the season. Glasner will surely have several offers for his services. Gareth Southgate is at 6/1, perhaps reflecting his past relationship with Steve Holland, who is now working as Carrick’s assistant manager after several years in the England set-up. Julian Nagelsmann (14/1), Carlo Ancelotti (22/1) and Mauricio Pochettino could all be available after the World Cup, while Luis Enrique (20/1) could be sold on a new project after three years at Paris Saint-Germain. However, are any of these candidates worth starting from scratch when Carrick is proving he has the answers to many of the issues at Old Trafford? His candidacy for the job should be taken seriously. Manchester United have found the back of the net in each of their seven matches since Carrick’s arrival. Even more notably, they have kept three clean sheets, one more than they had kept in the league all season until that point. The shift to a more orthodox back four has helped. Harry Maguire has found form as United’s dominant defensive presence, making more clearances than any other player in the recent win over Crystal Palace. Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw have both looked more comfortable in the new shape, particularly in the case of the Portuguese full-back, who registered four crosses against Palace. In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo has been restored to the starting lineup after being sidelined by Ruben Amorim, giving Manchester United some much-needed balance in the centre of the pitch. Advertisement Casemiro has also looked like the Casemiro of old, while Bruno Fernandes has reached an even higher level in the number 10 position that clearly gets the best out of the Portuguese international. No player has created more chances in the Premier League this season than Fernandes (84), who is also second for goal contributions (20) behind only Erling Haaland. With Fernandes in such sparkling form, United’s forward line has been more potent than at any point of Amorim’s tenure. Indeed, Carrick’s side have scored in each of their last seven games, scoring two or more five times. Benjamin Sesko has benefited possibly more than any other player since Carrick’s interim appointment, scoring six goals in his last seven games, including decisive goals against Fulham, West Ham, Everton and Crystal Palace. Sesko’s start against Palace on Sunday was his first under Carrick, suggesting the interim United manager still wants to protect the Slovenian, who was prematurely written off as an expensive flop by some. There are still a lot of matches to be played before the end of the season. Manchester United now face a tricky run of fixtures that includes games against Newcastle (tonight), Aston Villa and Chelsea before the middle of April. However, with no other competition to concentrate on, Carrick is free of distractions to prepare United to finish the season strongly. Champions League qualification certainly wouldn’t hurt his chances of being appointed permanently. Manchester United have been here before. Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Darren Fletcher have all held the interim position in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson age. Carrick himself has held the position before. Solskjaer earned the job permanently based on a new-manager bounce, and some fans might be wary of United repeating the same mistake by hiring Carrick. Nonetheless, the former midfielder has put himself into the discussion, which will only intensify the longer United’s strong run of form continues. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle