Manchester United’s season had taken on a familiar, unsettled quality when Michael Carrick stepped into the managerial role in January. The dismissal of Ruben Amorim, following months of inconsistent results and mounting discontent, had left the club once again at an uncertain crossroads, a position it has occupied with uncomfortable regularity in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

United’s resurgence under Carrick has drawn inevitable parallels with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s interim spell in 2018-19. Both former United players inherited sides midway through troubled campaigns and restored optimism through improved results, with Solskjær winning 14 of his first 19 games and guiding United to a sixth-place finish before earning the role permanently.

Carrick’s impact, while less frenetic in style, has been similarly significant. United, sixth in the Premier League table when he assumed charge, has since registered 11 victories from 16 matches and collected 36 points. The team has shown greater defensive discipline and a more coherent structure in possession. Kobbie Mainoo, among others, has flourished under the renewed confidence that has taken hold at Carrington.

The season’s most significant outcome has already been secured. A third-place finish in the Premier League guarantees United’s return to the UEFA Champions League, no small achievement for a side that spent much of the campaign adrift from its stated ambitions.

The club’s hierarchy has moved to formalise the arrangement. Carrick has signed an initial two-year contract through 2028, with the option of a further year, terms that reflect measured confidence rather than unconditional endorsement, given the scale of the task ahead.

Whether this marks the beginning of a sustained recovery remains uncertain. Solskjaer too revived optimism during his early months at Manchester United. The question now is whether Carrick can build something more enduring than what Solskjaer ultimately managed.