Manchester United

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Michael Carrick can lead Manchester United "for however long he wants if he gets it right", says the club's record goalscorer Wayne Rooney.

United beat rivals Liverpool on Sunday to secure their return to Champions League football and strengthen Carrick's claim to be appointed head coach on a permanent basis.

"It's when rather than if I think," Rooney told The Wayne Rooney show.

"In my opinion it wouldn't be a bad decision.

"The one thing we're hearing is that there's Champions League football next season and more games so how is he going to deal with that.

"He's been in the Championship with Middlesbrough where squad rotation is actually even more difficult than it is in the Premier League because normally you've got about 14 players with a bit of quality and the rest beyond that haven't.

"He's been there, he knows how to do that. If you brought in a Luis Enrique or Thomas Tuchel and they won 10 of of their first 14 games you would say that's incredible. So, just because he's a young, English manager it means it's not the right place to look in a lot of people's eyes.

"Michael Carrick is a clever person, he's a really good coach, and I think he can lead the team for however long he wants if he gets it right.

"It will be an interesting summer. For the first time in a long time Manchester United seem like they have a bit of calmness around the whole place and that's a good thing."

There isn't a single Premier League side that has picked up more points since Carrick returned to Old Trafford on 17 January, so no wonder Rooney is backing his former team-mate for the long-term job.

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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It has been an incredible period for exciting games with plenty of goals. It is also no surprise considering what is at stake. Many clubs are needing wins as opposed to just wanting them, and of course there is the tiredness at the end of the season which top players will always take advantage of.

Everton 3-3 Manchester City might just have outshone Manchester United beating Liverpool 3-2 on Sunday, but that win by Michael Carrick's men was another hi-octane nailbiter that had the emotions overflowing from the start. It wasn't quite the spectacle of PSG 5-4 Bayern Munich last Tuesday, but we are currently seeing classics on a more than weekly basis just now.

There were also a whole bunch of schoolboy errors on show, though to be fair Marc Guehi's bizarre, you-wouldn't-expect-that-in-an-under-eights-game backpass, did steal the show at the weekend.

The two big take aways were that first, Liverpool have a lot of work to do over the summer particularly with their defence. Second, if Manchester United do not give Michael Carrick the job full-time, then they will probably get what they deserve – more of the mayhem they have endured for the past 13 years.

I have never understood why they got rid of David Moyes, who I was convinced would have built a dynasty given a modicum of time and indeed due respect. Carrick is in the classic United mould, has done an exceptional job with 32 points from 42 available, that is league-winning form in many seasons.

Napoli say they will sign on-loan Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund on a permanent deal. The Serie A side are close to securing a Champions League spot, which would trigger a £38m fee for the forward. (Mirror, external)

Major League Soccer sides LA Galaxy and Inter Miami are leading the race to sign Casemiro, when his Old Trafford contract expires, despite interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. (Talksport, external)

Casemiro's desire to play with Lionel Messi means he is willing to reduce his salary demands to join the 38-year-old Argentina forward at Inter Miami. (Sky Sports, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Alex Turk
Fan writer

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Manchester United are back where we belong. Michael Carrick has completed his mission. Champions League nights are returning to Old Trafford next season.

I couldn't think of many better way to seal it than by beating Liverpool to complete a first double over our rivals since 2016, a landmark win coming via a Kobbie Mainoo winner in front of the Stretford End in the same week he signed a new contract, no less.

But now the job is done, and this unique season can be considered a successful one, all focus must now go towards getting the summer transfer window right.

United can enter the business period with confidence, given how 2025 included some of the club's best recruitment of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Patrick Dorgu, Ayden Heaven, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, Senne Lammens - all hits, in my book, and a major factor behind the spring from 15th last season to third in the Premier League.

The positions United must address have, naturally, dominated the talk about this summer. The Red Devils need at least three midfielders, support for Sesko and another left-wing option.

But I want to discuss the player profile, which is crucial to avoid repeating the horrors of our last Champions League campaign under Erik ten Hag in 2023-24.

Only eight United players who are likely to be in the squad next season have more than 15 Champions League appearances to their name. Seven have two or fewer.

The seven? Lammens, Heaven, Leny Yoro, Dorgu, Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Mbeumo. Most could easily be regular starters next term.

Of course, if you play for this football club, you must be ready to perform on the biggest stage. But Champions League experience has to feature on the criteria for at least some of this summer's targets.

Find more from Alex Turk at Turk Talks FC, external

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We gave you a hypothetical scenario and asked you to choose between appointing Michael Carrick or Andoni Iraola as Manchester United's next permanent manager.

This followed the team on Monday Night Club discussing how tricky the balance is when picking a new boss - you can watch that clip further down this page.

Here are some of your replies to us:

Jonathan: It has got to be Carrick. It may not be that he wins the Champions League within the next 2-3 years, but it sends a message that the team and the culture comes first. Bringing in a new manager disrupts that, and it makes the players question what more they can do. Carrick has progressed this squad from 15th to third. Over time he will consolidate the squad, make our goals clear and settle a club which has been in turmoil for more than 10 years. Stability first and then, if needed, more experience can come in.

Christine: I wouldn't have Carrick. He has done a fantastic job, in the same way Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did, but I hope we don't make the same mistake. Let's be honest, it is painful to watch us when teams are pressing and playing better football, when we are defending for our lives on the counter-attack. He's not for Man Utd in the long-term. I would have Julian Nagelsmann, as I don't think Luis Enrique will leave PSG. If we don't get Nagelsmann, I would go for Iraola - but that wouldn't be my first choice. We have to get it right and Carrick is not it.

Paul: It is a no-brainer. Give Carrick a one-year contract, after what he has achieved in just four months, and then make a decision based on the results of Carrick v Iraola. Remember, Carrick has the Manchester United DNA and he could grow into the role with the support of all of those around him. Iraola may have a case for consideration or not at the end of next season. Either way, I believe the best decision lies here.

Mohamed: The decision is simple: who have the players performed for? Carrick. He is United through and through. He has brought us back from the wilderness to Europe. It is a no-brainer, it has to be him. He does need to be backed with fresh legs as well, though. The board needs to make a footballing decision for once, not a monetary one.

Gerry: It is as clear as the nose on your head. Carrick has the DNA. Listen to what the players are saying about him, Mainoo said he'd die for him and Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo have raved about his coaching sessions. We need to appoint him before the next home game, any later and it will start affecting our ability to bring in new players this summer. We've tried experienced winners in Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. We've tried young guns in Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim. Let's give Carrick the same chance.

The Observer's football correspondent Rory Smith has been pitting Michael Carrick and Andoni Iraola, who have both been linked with Manchester United's permanent managerial job, against each other on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

Either way, he believes the Red Devils' football executives will have a "really difficult" decision to make this summer, when it comes to appointing their next manager.

"The football executives will have to weigh up three years of Iraola at Bournemouth in the Premier League against sticking with Carrick," Smith said.

"Iraola has played wonderful football throughout, brought through talented players like Milos Kerkez and Eli Junior Kroupi. Iraola has become a cog in the machine, and definitely improved the club.

"They are all big ticks, but the club will have to work out if he can take his style of play and training methods to get the best out of players who won't just be playing once a week.

"Or do they stick with Carrick, who has a much smaller sample size, he hasn't done all the things Iraola has done, but knows the club well, the fans and the connection to history.

"It is a really difficult decision to make, and too often we treat it as if it is obvious or easy."

Would you pick Carrick or Iraola? What's the reason for your decision? Tell us here

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

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It was another fine performance from Kobbie Mainoo as he donned his boyhood colours for the 99th time in the 3-2 victory over Liverpool.

Already, the 21-year-old has a wealth of experience for club and country, and Mainoo is on track to join the hundred club, if he features again this season for the Red Devils.

On The Devils' Advocate podcast, supporter Sam Drinkwater believes working alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes has turned Mainoo into "the ultimate midfielder".

"He is one of those players that, when he's on the ball, you feel safe," said Drinkwater. "You feel he is going to make the right decision or at least the decision I want him to make. That attribute is so underrated in a footballer."

Although Mainoo's minutes were hindered earlier in the season due to falling out of favour under ex-boss, Ruben Amorim. Michael Carrick has helped revitalise Manchester United and the youngster's season.

The midfielder's best season came under Erik ten Hag in the 2023-24 campaign, where he featured in 24 games and accumulated 1,924 playing minutes.

"What we are talking about is a player who has certainly improved from two years ago when he was at his best for Man Utd. I think he is a better all-rounded player [now]," said Drinkwater.

Fellow Devils' Advocate guest Nick McCabe added: "He is looking like a proper player now. When you watch Frenkie de Jong for Barcelona, the way they carry themselves across the pitch, the way they link, he is that perfect piece between Casemiro and Bruno. He links it really well, and he is only 21."

Listen to The Devils' Advocate below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Manchester United content on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United set up a repeat of last season's PL2 play-off semi-final with Manchester City by winning at Crystal Palace last night.

Central defender Dan Armer and striker Chido Obi scored the goals that sent Adam Lawrence's side through to the last four.

It means United must play City away from home twice in two key youth fixtures in a matter of days.

The two clubs are also due to meet in the FA Youth Cup final. The deadline for the match is 9 May, although that will not be met as talks continue over an actual date and whether the game will be played at the Etihad Stadium as scheduled.

United finished second in PL2 but only the winners, Chelsea, were guaranteed home draws throughout the tournament.

However, as the Blues were knocked out themselves by Tottenham on Friday, it is anticipated the winners of their semi-final with Brighton will host the final.

Last season, City beat United in the semi-final and went on to lift the trophy after overcoming Southampton.

It was noteworthy previous PL2 regulars James Scanlon and Gabriele Biancheri, whose unsatisfactory loan spells at Swindon and Rotherham have now ended, were both involved against Palace after being named as substitutes.

Manchester United are interested in 21-year-old Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who is expected to leave West Ham if they are relegated from the Premier League. (Telegraph - subscription required, external)

United are also keen to sell midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who has made just one league start since Michael Carrick was appointed as interim manager in January. (Sun, external)

Meanwhile the Red Devils are ready to spend in the region of £150m to sign three central midfielders this summer. (Mail, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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The Devils' Advocate presenter Gaz Drinkwater is joined by Nick McCabe from Real Reds Talk after Man Utd's victory over Liverpool.

They discuss Champions League football and Kobbie Mainoo's dream week.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Manchester United content on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Matheus Cunha has made the impact Manchester United hoped when they paid Wolves £62.5m last summer, when he was a priority target.

With such a huge personality, it was unlikely joining a club of that size would be too much for the 26-year-old.

His goal against Liverpool was his ninth of the season, including some key ones for Michael Carrick, specifically the winners at Arsenal and Chelsea.

It has given Cunha time to show off his familiar surfing celebration, which reached a new level against Liverpool, when he raced away, pursued by team-mates, dived on the ground and then got up to 'surf'.

"I've improved my celebration a little bit," he said.

"Every time, my friends in Brazil every time say, 'you cannot only surf, you have to paddle and stand up on the surfboard'. I said 'OK, I'll try to improve'.

"It's part of my life; to bring this into football and show everyone how happy I am to play football and surf. I have to do it."

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Legendary former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has hailed the progress of fellow countryman and Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vitek and urged the youngster to ensure he carries on playing next season.

Vitek, 22, had an outstanding campaign on loan at Bristol City, scooping the player of the year, young player of the year and players' player of the year prizes.

Now he needs to find out United's plans for him.

Just before joining Bristol City, Vitek signed a new contract at Old Trafford committing him to the club until 2028.

That was before Senne Lammens came in from Royal Antwerp to make the number one spot his own.

Vitek has already made it clear he has no interest in sitting on the bench anywhere after two and a half seasons of playing regularly and the Czech Republic's best ever goalkeeper feels that is key to his progress.

"It's important to play," Cech told BBC Sport. "Of course, there are situations when sometimes you know that you have a big chance to come back and fight for your position. That's a different thing.

"But as it stands at United, Lammens has done really well. I'm sure he [Vitek] will want to go somewhere and continue playing.

"It's great to see him progress because playing for the under-21s with United is one thing, but then he played men's football in Austria, which went really well for him, then he came back to England with Bristol City and did well there.

"That obviously gives him an opportunity to attract even attention from teams in the Premier League.

"I met him a couple of years ago, when we had a training session and talked about things. I could see he's got the hunger and the willingness to get better."

Read more on United loanee Vitek

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Manchester United and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

Man Utd fans

Carl: Sometimes you cannot fathom why players do the things they do and the mistakes they make. What is always pleasing is when they react positively and make amends. Well done to the management team and a special mention to Kobbie Mainoo and his team-mates. What was a poor season has become a good one with Champions League qualification.

Neil: In the past few games, why has Lammens fallen into playing out from the back? It was one of his strengths when he came in that he kept it simple with long balls, unlike the calamity Onana. Another lucky escape after Brentford. I'm sorry, but Michael Carrick is living on borrowed time. Julian Nagelsmann is my choice.

Mark: That 20-minute period early in the second half just shows how close the performance of the current United and the United from last season are. It's a thin line between success and failure for us at the moment, and we're just falling on the right side. We need cool, calm heads in the midfielders we bring in.

Simon: Great man-of-the-match performance from Kobbie, particularly in the first half, breaking up Liverpool's play with interceptions and tackles based on great positioning. The goal was his reward. Mainoo is nailed on for England.

Liverpool fans

Wiz: Regardless of injuries, we are papering over cracks all the time with Arne Slot. Boring, slow, predictable and passionless. It clearly doesn't work in the Premier League. He won it last year with the last of Klopp's team and has now dismantled it totally. There is no identity at all. Slot has still got to go, or it'll be another 30 years before another trophy.

Kieran: Liverpool's problems this season are many in all areas of the field. Their biggest problem is the correct recruitment. No alternatives to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. No cover for Conor Bradley at right-back. Florian Wirtz has been a major disappointment, and he is not suited to the physicality of the Premier League. Missing out on Marc Guehi was the club's biggest mistake. Alexander Isak and Jeremie Frimpong should not have been bought. Sporting director Richard Hughes is the real problem!

Mez: Very poor overall. They were gifted two goals early in the second half, but they never looked like winning it. Slow play, no identity, no bite up front, all over the place defensively and, more importantly, no midfield. Even if Slot keeps his job beyond this summer, I think he will be sacked within weeks of the new season.

Dax: If it wasn't for United's mistakes we could have been hammered. It's not that Slot doesn't have a clue, it's that the team just aren't playing with any kind of passion... except for Rio Ngumoha and Dominik Szoboszlai. The counter-attack is non-existent or too slow, the passing lacks any kind of purpose and nobody seems to want to close down opponents. All too frequently, we are allowing opponents to form an attack safe in the knowledge that we'll give them the space to do it. We need to show teams the kind of pressing we were so good at and be ready for the break. I don't think Slot is at fault here. It's the players.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Michael Carrick is not the type of guy to say "give me the job" but he went slightly further on Sunday than he has done before in highlighting his credentials to be named head coach of Manchester United on a full-time basis.

To recap, Carrick has won 10 matches out of 14 since being asked to take charge until the end of the season in January.

United have amassed more points than any other team in that time. They have beaten the other five 'Super League' clubs and also Aston Villa, who are set to qualify for the Champions League.

He simply could not have done any more.

"It's been a good run," he said. "We've beaten some very good teams and it's been challenging.

"I love doing what I'm doing. It's a great position for me to be in and it feels pretty natural, if I'm totally honest.

"I'm not being blase because it's a difficult role, but it feels like I've been here a long time. I can understand what it brings and to be sitting in this position is a good position to be in."

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Judging whether the ball has touched a player's hand can be one of the trickiest roles of the video assistant referee.

It involves using split-screen angles because depth perception can give the incorrect suggestion the ball has touched the hand or arm on just one camera.

The decision comes down to a VAR assessing the weight of evidence, and asking themselves if they can be sure the ball did touch the hand.

In these situations, who is in the VAR chair can make a difference. Because, while handball before a goal is considered a factual decision, whether you think the ball touched the fingers in a case like this is very much subjective.

Slow motion can help, but there should not be an over-reliance on zooming in. Broadcasters have higher frame rate options with an ultra zoom, which Sky showed a few minutes after play had restarted.

In this case, VAR Stuart Attwell felt he did not have the definitive evidence to overturn the goal. He may have believed it was likely, but he could not be absolutely sure.

Match referee Darren England explained this to the two captains before play got under way again.

If you are a Liverpool fan, you will absolutely feel that there was proof, of course.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

"You want to follow him. You want to fight for him. You want to die for him on the pitch."

Kobbie Mainoo's assessment of manager Michael Carrick on Sky Sports after Manchester United took a 3-2 win over Liverpool resonated.

It resonated because when Mainoo scored his 77th-minute winner at Old Trafford, the stadium announcer made a point of hailing the homegrown, local-born 21-year-old, who signed a new long-term contract on Thursday.

Mainoo has become the poster boy for the club, which is amazing considering he had a request to join Napoli on loan turned down last summer, he did not start a league game for the first five months of this season and he was preparing for tough discussions over his future before Ruben Amorim got the boot.

Image source, Daily Express and Daily Star

Bringing Mainoo back into the fold - and getting him to play at a high level - is just one of Carrick's completed tasks since being asked to guide his old club through to the end of the season.

He has also restored captain Bruno Fernandes to his favourite position and overseen wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Chelsea and now Liverpool.

In addition, the 44-year-old has taken the club back into the Champions League after a two-year absence.

We do not know how he will react to playing games every three or four days, rather than once a week and sometimes not even that, although he did OK at Middlesbrough.

We do not know how he will react to a losing sequence because it hasn't happened yet. United have won 10 our of 14 matches under Carrick, with no team accumulating more points during that period.

That is the reality. That is what the hierarchy will be discarding if they choose to replace Carrick in three games' time.

Read the full article here

Micah Richards
Former Manchester City defender on Match of the Day

When you watch Kobbie Mainoo play, you can really see the difference Michael Carrick has made - in terms of the previous manager not believing in him to then the new manager coming in and giving him so much confidence.

You can see that self-belief in his performances.

It is one thing people saying that Mainoo should play and him coming in and backing that up, because there was big pressure on him coming back into the team.

All of the Manchester United fans wanted him back in the team, but when you are picked you still have to perform - and he has done that.

Mainoo signed a new club contract this week and he was back in the England squad in March, so it feels like he has hit form at the right time with the World Cup being this summer.

The next step for him now is to just be more consistent because when he first came into the team, I thought he was going to be a really special player.

For a while, though, I wasn't sure what type of player he was going to be. For example, is he more of a six or a number eight?

If he can nail down that number six role and actually be that defensive midfielder, and then drive forward at the right time like he did for his goal, then that's where his future is as a really top player.