Michael Carrick believes that Manchester United have made an astute appointment in Erik ten Hag and hopes he can deliver success to the club this season.
Carrick, who left the Red Devils in December 2021 after taking caretaker charge following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer, has wished the Dutchman well in his new adventure. His decision to leave Old Trafford meant an abrupt exit from the club after 15 years at United as a player and a coach.
Since then, Ralf Rangnick took charge on an Interim basis until the end of the season, before Ten Hag was appointed in the summer. After a disastrous start to the season, the Dutchman has guided the Red Devils to three successive wins over Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester City - a run that has seen United move up to fifth in the Premier League table.
When asked about his verdict on Ten Hag, Carrick told EUROSPORT: "He is a good coach, he did very well at Ajax and time will tell if he does well. It is not my opinion anymore, but I hope they have a good season, I really do. I know a lot of people there. I still go and support them and I hope they have a really good season and be successful.
"Everyone wants things now, instant. And whether that's football, whether that's business, patience levels are getting lower and lower. So, I think it can be either too good or too low.
"It's not often you can get that middle ground where everyone is a little bit more realistic. The Premier League is a tough league, a lot of good teams. But I think by the end of the season you will see the same teams towards the top of the league, it is just who is in what position, but I think the top six will be the same."
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Ten Hag will be looking to add his fourth successive win in charge when his United side host Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the game, the Dutchman reviewed the Gunners' start to the season and believes it will be a tricky test.
He said: "I have seen Arsenal, tough opponent. They’ve started really well this season and you can see this is a team who have been together longer, who have a coach bringing his philosophy to the team.
"So, for us it’s a good test and I’m really looking forward to it. We will pick the right XI to start. But as you see, it’s not only a team, we have a squad. The subs who came on [against Leicester] did really well. I’m happy with that and that’s what we have to construct further."
