Gary Neville’s pre-match claim that Michael Carrick was in the box seat for the Manchester United job looked to have backfired when Maxence Lacroix headed Crystal Palace in front after four minutes at Old Trafford.
However, United came from behind to win 2-1 and move up to third in the Premier League for the first time since May 2023 as Carrick extended his unbeaten run in charge to seven games with his sixth victory since succeeding Ruben Amorim.
The Sky Sports pundit had warned his former team-mate of the risk Palace posed as United looked to capitalise on Aston Villa’s surprise slip at Wolves to strengthen their chances of Champions League qualification.
“The run they have been on has been a shock to everybody,” said Neville of United pre-game. “Michael would not have expected this in his wildest dreams.
“He has to keep it going until the end of the season. Today is a big part of that. These games can trip you up.
“Michael is in the box seat for the job. Looking at what is happening now, I think they will qualify for the Champions League.”
United played their worst half an hour of football under Carrick in the first half against Palace when it seemed Neville’s warning had fallen on deaf ears.
But the players once again showed a resilience that was not always present under the previous head coach to regain their composure before the break. Had Casemiro headed in unmarked at the back post they could have gone in level.
Carrick’s side were firmly on top after the restart but Lacroix’s second-half sending off, thanks to the intervention of VAR, swung the game entirely in their favour.
Bruno Fernandes scored from the subsequent spot-kick and set up Benjamin Sesko’s winner as United avoided defeat when going behind for a third time since Carrick took over.
Benjamin Sesko celebrates his goal
“It was a test for us going in a goal down at half time,” Carrick told Sky Sports. “New for us. We didn’t start the game great, credit to Palace they did. We grew into the game as the half went on. Second half we stepped up again.
“It was a big thing to overcome being a goal down at home so early against a team that are tough to break down. It was a big step for us. I was really happy with the way the boys approached that and reacted to it.”
Neville’s latest comments are significant given his stance when Carrick arrived. He said in January that Carrick should not be considered for the job next season “even if he wins every single game”.
Even though Carrick has not met those lofty standards, he has the joint-best points return after nine Premier League games of any manager in the competition’s history, including his caretaker spell in 2021 (W1, D1).
Only Ange Postecoglou’s 23 points in nine games at the start of his tenure at Spurs matches Carrick.
United are in unfamiliar territory with 10 games left of the season to play after moving third. As Neville said, this scenario was unimaginable when Carrick took over, but he has made restoring stability to Old Trafford look easy.
Asked how it feels to be back at the club being serenaded by the fans, Carrick said: “It is nice. This place means a lot to me. So having so much positivity and me having an influence on that of course it feels good.
“The players have got to take a lot of credit. It’s certainly not all me.”
Carrick is far more understated than his predecessor but the results his side have produced are ramping up the noise about his future. Questions will continue to be asked of him in the final weeks of the season.
Given how quickly modern football can turn with a few bad results and the number of false dawns United have had over the last decade, it would be foolish for the club to rush their decision.
However, if Neville is anything to go by, even the biggest doubters are having to reconsider their view on Carrick.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
