Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that Michael Carrick did not want to continue as caretaker boss following his exit from the club in November 2021.
Following a run of five defeats in seven games, ending with a 4-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road, United made the decision to sack Solskjaer just four months after he had signed a new contract at the club. The Reds put the Norwegian's former assistant, Carrick, in caretaker charge until they had appointed a successor.
Carrick, who is now in charge of Championship side Middlesbrough, took interim charge for three games, overseeing a 1-1 draw with Chelsea and victories over Villarreal and Arsenal, before being replaced by interim manager Ralf Rangnick. The German, who was a surprise choice, picked up the baton until the end of the season.
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Despite going unbeaten in his three games at the helm, Carrick, speaking privately with Solskjaer, admitted that he did not want to carry on in the role. Solskjaer has now detailed that conversation between the pair of them and outlined why he still believes his former colleague has got what it takes to become permanent United manager at some point in the future.
"Michael has had to change a little bit since becoming a manager," Solskjaer told The Athletic. "He was maybe too into the details as a coach, but as a manager you have to take a step back and manage people.
"At United, I'd sometimes see Michael talk to the players. Some of these were ex-teammates of his which isn't easy, but he had an authority about him. I am 100 per cent sure that Michael will be the manager of Manchester United if he wants to be.
"I love him as a person, but while he never said anything to me about it, the day I got booted, I went to see him and said: 'I'm gone, they want you to take over.'
"I told him that I wanted him to do it. After 10 days, Michael came to me and said: 'I don't want to do this.'
"We were in it together and we were no longer together. I took that as a compliment because I had the utmost respect for him. If you see the interview I did when I left the club, I got emotional when I started talking about Michael.
"That's when I got really emotional. We don't spend too many hours in our private lives together but it was pure respect for him."
Carrick, who will turn 42 this summer, landed his first permanent role in management last October, taking over at Middlesbrough. They were 21st in the table at that stage and have ended the campaign inside the play-off places, meaning they are just three games away from possibly sealing promotion back to the Premier League.
Solskjaer added: "Michael is a man of value and principles, a big family man, but his knowledge is also second to none. He's had Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho as managers, and he's played with the best players in the world.
"He's a winner but he's still in control of his emotions. I cannot see him not being the Manchester United manager."
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