- Gary Neville has doubts over Michael Carrick
- The compairosn to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- Pundit backed Solskjaer with delight
Former Manchester United right-back turned pundit Gary Neville has once again voiced his doubts over current interim head coach Michael Carrick.
In truth, questioning Carrick remains completely fair. Whilst his results have materialised into 10 wins, two draws, two defeats, and Champions League qualification secured—even though United sat seventh when he arrived—certain aspects of Carrick’s game still warrant scrutiny.
At this stage, he simply is not the finished product. He still carries tactical insecurities that United must iron out if the club truly wants to climb back towards the summit of English football.
The Englishman has also never overseen a transfer window for a Premier League club. But he keeps winning football matches.
Which makes it all the more strange that Neville critiques his former teammate, whilst speaking with far greater warmth about former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
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Gary Neville Hypocrisy Over Michael Carrick
For all Carrick has done well so far, former teammates still seem eager to point out his shortcomings. Neville said on the recent episode of The Overlap:
“If you’re Pep or Arteta and it’s announced Carrick’s the manager, will they be sitting there going… would they be fearful of him?”
To place Neville’s words into context, it’s important to examine whether Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta should fear Carrick. With only 14 games under his belt, drawing definitive conclusions remains difficult.
A manager without a full season behind him rarely offers enough evidence for complete judgment. Especially when Carrick has only managed across one competition.
But if we can only judge the Englishman on those 14 matches, then why should Guardiola and Arteta not fear him?
In Carrick’s opening two matches in charge of Manchester United—259 days after his final game as Middlesbrough manager—he orchestrated statement victories against Guardiola’s Manchester City and Arteta’s Arsenal.
The 2-0 victory over City marked United’s most commanding derby performance in years, whilst the 3-2 win against Arsenal handed the north London side their first home defeat since 3 May 2025. Until Bournemouth beat them on 11 April, it also stood as their only home defeat of the season in all competitions.
Neville later added:
“At some stage when does someone like a Michael Carrick get to the place where he can start to progress? As we can see the players he gets. So as we can see if he’s got the character… Michael Carrick’s demeanour, his personality, he seems like he can deal with the noise… But then will he be allowed to grow?”
The contrast with Solskjaer’s appointment in April 2019 feels striking. Back then, Neville sounded full of admiration for the Norwegian, despite Solskjaer having just suffered his second consecutive defeat as United manager.
“I’m delighted for Ole first and foremost. When he was first appointed, I never envisaged that he would get the permanent job. I remember at the time, I was talking about Mauricio Pochettino being the No 1 candidate and Ole just coming in to steady the ship and get everyone happy again, but the results and performances have been beyond incredible really—almost flawless.”
He added:
“Ole has bought a level of happiness and excitement back to the fans, which is at least something because it has been difficult to watch over the last three or four years.”
Neville even directly told Solskjaer he deserved the job after the Norweigan oversaw a 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain. He said:
“How long would you like on your contract? What would your salary be? Where would you like the statue?” (The board) have only got one decision to make, haven’t they?”
Solskjaer’s reign undoubtedly unfolded like a whirlwind—full of emotion, momentum, and eventual collapse following that infamous 4-0 defeat to Watford. Poetic in a way, considering his first match as permanent manager also came against Watford.
Why is Carrick Given Different Treatment?
To borrow a line from Andy Mitten: “If it’s Carrick or not, he deserves to be judged on his own merit.” When it boils down to the results in front of us, Carrick has not just achieved his goal set to him, he has shattered it.
Manchester United now sit firmly amongst the top four, and four points from their final three fixtures would secure third place. Since Carrick stepped into the dugout, no side has collected more points, won more matches, or scored more goals.
United have transformed from a shell-shocked side that limped to 15th place last campaign into one capable of jousting with England’s elite once again.
Solskjaer’s side thrilled. It entertained. It played with chaos, speed, emotion, and ruthless counter-attacking intensity. But too often, that whirlwind merely papered over the fractures beneath the surface.
Carrick has restored something different. Whilst there are still aspects of his system that have not come to fruition, the midfield is largely intact, carries organisation, and the squad looks connected.
Players understand their responsibilities. Confidence pulses back through Old Trafford once more. And the victories continue to arrive.
Carrick’s win rate, across both spells in charge, stands at 71 per cent, the highest in Manchester United history. If we narrow the lens to this current stint, the figure rises even further to 71.43 per cent.
Solskjaer received patience, faith, and overwhelming support because he helped Manchester United turn the page after the toxicity that consumed the final months of the José Mourinho era. Carrick deserves that same opportunity.
Perhaps this does not yet mark the beginning of a new chapter. Perhaps it only marks the opening paragraph. But for the first time in a long while, United finally look like they are writing in the right direction.
