Manchester United have confirmed Michael Carrick has signed a two-year contract to remain head coach at Old Trafford.
Carrick was installed in January until the end of the season after Ruben Amorim’s dismissal and has now been awarded the full-time role after guiding United back into the Champions League. Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest secured third place with a game to spare.
Since taking charge, Carrick has overseen an impressive run: United have won 11 of his 16 games in charge, drawing three and losing two. That run began with a four-game winning streak and included notable victories over Manchester City and Arsenal. Under his stewardship United sit top of the Premier League form table, collecting 36 points from a possible 48, and Carrick earned a Premier League Manager of the Season nomination.
The club say the new deal is technically an extension of the contract he signed in January — although Carrick had been treated as a candidate for the permanent job during a what the club described as a “thorough and discreet” recruitment process. Director of Football Jason Wilcox led the review, recommending Carrick to CEO Omar Berrada and then to the club’s owners, who are understood to be aligned on the appointment. Paperwork for the existing first-team coaching staff, including Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate, is still being finalised.
Carrick is a club legend who finished his playing career at United, winning multiple domestic titles, the Champions League and other honours. He joined the coaching staff in 2018 and remained on the backroom team through subsequent managerial changes. He later took his first senior managerial job at Middlesbrough in 2022, leading the club to the play-offs and a Carabao Cup semi-final before being dismissed in June 2025.
Reactions from around the club and pundits were broadly positive but cautious. Former United captain and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville praised Carrick for stabilising the club on and off the pitch, saying results, cohesion and confidence have improved since his arrival. Neville added that Carrick now faces a tougher challenge: the club must back him in the summer transfer window to add depth and quality for a more demanding campaign with Champions League football returning.
Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher said Carrick has earned the job and calmed a turbulent period, but questioned whether he is the man to deliver major trophies immediately. Carragher described Carrick as a sensible, steady appointment who could use another season to consolidate progress.
United’s hierarchy have highlighted improvements in results, performances and club culture as reasons to keep Carrick and his staff in place. The coming weeks, particularly recruitment in the transfer window, will be crucial as Carrick prepares for the increased demands of a season that includes domestic and European commitments.