Manchester United legend Roy Keane has shared his thoughts on whether Michael Carrick should become the permanent manager at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils managed to pick up a strong win in front of their own fans at the weekend as they beat Aston Villa 3-1.
This now means that they are third in the Premier League, with eight games left to play.
Since Carrick has become the interim manager, the club have turned a corner, winning seven, drawing once and losing just one of their nine games so far. They have also picked up crucial wins over rivals Manchester City and Arsenal along the way.
It’s no surprise that this good form has now seen many suggest that the former Man United midfielder should be given the job permanently at the end of the season.
It looks like the top five teams in the division will qualify for the Champions League, and United are now six points ahead of Chelsea in sixth place. Odds for Man United to finish in the top five are 1/20, which gives them a 66% chance of securing that spot. If you want to find these odds, then you can do so by heading to one of the betting sites here.
Roy Keane, who is now a pundit for Sky Sports, spoke about whether Carrick should get the job permanently, and his answer may surprise a few fans of the club.
When asked if he would give Carrick the job, Keane said: “No, I think there are better options out there. I think the game’s where he’s come in terms of winning football matches, he’s done a good job.
“He’s simplified things, but there’s been no jeopardy in their games. They had three weeks to prepare for the (Villa) match. It’s been good timing for him to go in there, and he’s done a very good job. I take my hat off to him, but there are far better options out there for the next manager of Man United.”
“I think there’s better options out there.”
Roy Keane says he wouldn’t give Michael Carrick the permanent job at Manchester United. pic.twitter.com/mRxH7QsKtG
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 15, 2026
Carrick has done a fantastic job since becoming the interim manager, but Keane does raise some good points.
With no European football or domestic cup action for the club, they have less fixture congestion than their rivals. This is a huge advantage, and it showed in their win over Villa on the weekend.
It was 1-1 until the 70th minute, but United were able to capitalise against a Villa side starting to tire after playing a gruelling match in the Europa League away to Lille three days prior.
Bruno Fernandes, who is having an amazing campaign, played a perfect through ball to Matheus Cunha and the forward finished brilliantly.
Benjamin Sesko, who has been in great form since Carrick took over, made it 3-1 with ten minutes to go. The Slovenian now has five goals in his last seven games.
Carrick’s only permanent managerial role was at Middlesbrough in the Championship. He performed well, managing 63 wins in 136 matches, but he struggled to get them into the playoffs and inevitably, they parted ways.
The lack of experience at a top club like Man United in a permanent role is a big issue, and it feels like Carrick is more suited to the interim role, where he can come in, change the mood, improve the performances quickly and leave the club in a good position to push on once he leaves.
Keane won’t be the only person who thinks there are better options out there in the summer. The next permanent Man United manager needs to be the perfect decision, and if they do not get it right, then the board will understandably receive plenty of criticism.