Man Utd can be thankful Carrick is in charge
· Yahoo Sports
In the immediate aftermath of Ruben Amorim's dismissal in January, Manchester United let it be known their search for a new boss would be widespread – and would likely involve managers who were committed to countries competing at the World Cup.
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However, a good source quickly told me such an approach was impractical, certainly if it involved one of the countries predicted to have a long run in the competition.
Managers could not risk the backlash that would inevitably follow if they committed to go elsewhere once the tournament ended as it would deflect attention away from the task in hand.
Then, there is the reality results would dictate whether the particular manager had succeeded or failed.
In United's case, the three most commonly mentioned were Carlo Ancelotti, Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel.
None of that trio has enhanced their reputation in the United States this summer. If Tuchel had been preparing to take over at Old Trafford given the fall-out from his perceived tactical disaster against Argentina, the German would have found himself on the back foot from day one.
There was a lot of debate around whether Michael Carrick should have been given the job – given his results he was a clear and obvious choice – but as he flies out to Helsinki for United's first pre-season game against Wrexham on Saturday, United's hierarchy can be thankful they at least are starting from a solid base.