Michael Carrick has revealed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer urged him to take the Manchester United job after he was sacked in late 2021.
Solskjaer's three-year reign at Old Trafford came to an end in November 2021 following a disastrous start to the season. Carrick, then his right-hand man, stepped in for three unbeaten games as caretaker manager before announcing his departure just minutes after overseeing a 3-2 victory over Arsenal, following Ralf Rangnick's appointment as interim boss.
In his decision, the former England international ended more than 15 years of association with the Red Devils, having spent 12 trophy-laden seasons playing for United before moving into coaching at the club while Jose Mourinho was still in charge. Carrick, now excelling at Middlesbrough in his first permanent management role, has opened up on his decision to leave Old Trafford and what advice Solskjaer gave him a matter of hours after the Norwegian was relieved of his duties.
"I didn't just take the job and forget about Ole," the five-time Premier League winner told the Daily Mail. "He was the first one I spoke to. He said, 'You have to take it, 100 per cent', because that's the man he is. I've the utmost respect for him."
Solskjaer's time as boss at Old Trafford has been rendered a failure by most, despite fans at the time largely enjoying his tenure and witnessing what Carrick described as "some big highs". The now-Middlesbrough manager added: "It probably gets lost how well we were doing. Finishing second and third was a great achievement at that time. We were in finals and semi-finals but, at United, you've got to win. We hit a bump in the last couple of months. People jump on it and things can unravel."
Sir Alex Ferguson is, of course, someone who Carrick also has been in contact with since returning to his roots in the north-east. "I spoke to him (Ferguson) when I was getting the job and we've met a number of times since," the 41-year-old explained. "He's a good listener, not a dictator by any stretch, and he gives advice and you always take something away from the conversation."
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Now sitting fourth in the Championship table after taking charge at the Riverside with a rudderless 'Boro in 21st place, Carrick is garnering acclaim for his work. This will pique the interest of boardrooms around the country, but Carrick isn't looking beyond his first campaign as a boss just yet.
"I'm just happy doing what I'm doing. I'm genuinely not chasing anything," he explained, buoyed by Middlesbrough's reputation of giving young coaches their first taste of management. "I'm just trying to do the best I can, enjoying the challenge and trying to give back to a club that’s shown a lot of faith in me to give me this chance."
