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What Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Said About Michael Carrick in 2023
With Ruben Amorim out of the picture, Manchester United whittled their interim choices down to two men: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick. Both know the club well and are popular among fans, but the Englishman got the nod.
GIVEMESPORT sources understand that the 44-year-old was the unanimous choice of the Red Devils board, evidently impressing during his face-to-face interview last week. It’s understood that the Man Utd squad were also in favour of his appointment.
Solskjaer was reportedly disappointed not to be given the job, but would have also preferred to land a permanent role, which wasn’t on the table for either him or Carrick. Of course, the two know each other well, and the Norwegian has previously made his feelings on Man Utd’s new caretaker very clear.
Solskjaer Tipped Carrick as ‘Future’ Man Utd Manager
Speaking to The Athletic in 2023,Solskjaer was not shy in dishing out the praise for Carrick. Effusively, he claimed that the Englishman, who had been part of his coaching staff at Man Utd, would one day be the manager of the club, remarking:
“I am 100 per cent sure that Michael will be the manager of Manchester United if he wants to be.
“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.”
Talking more specifically about what sort of person Carrick is behind the scenes, he added: “Michael is a proper human being, a proper man who you want to be successful. There’s no s*** about him, he does what he does for the right reasons.
“I don’t like to compare myself to many people, but I can see myself in Michael and Michael in me. I’m not saying that I could pick a pass like he could, but the two of us are calm and reflective.
“He’s a winner, a massive winner, yet he stays in control of his emotions. He knows what he wants and doesn’t lose his rag. He’ll never be emotional and fight with the players.”
Ex-Man Utd Interim Ralf Rangnick Has Made Feelings on Michael Carrick Very Clear
Carrick is set to take over until the end of the season, but does Rangnick approve?
Carrick Told Solskjaer He Didn’t Want to Take Over From Him in 2021
Carrick was part of Solskjaer’s coaching staff when the former club striker got sacked in November 2021. The Englishman then took over as caretaker until Ralf Rangnick’s appointment in December.
In the same interview, Solskjaer revealed that, 10 days after taking over, Carrick told him that he didn’t want to do the job with the Norwegian out of the picture. He recalled:
“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 ten 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.”
Now back at the helm, with three years as Middlesbrough’s manager under his belt, Carrick returns to Old Trafford. Once again, Solskjaer will be out of the picture.
