Giggs Cheers as Rooney Lights Up Old Trafford With England Mastery
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United has gone from crisis to within sight of a return to the Champions League since calling on Michael Carrick to salvage its season. Seven wins from nine games have transformed the mood inside Old Trafford — lifting United to third in the Premier League and prompting club great Wayne Rooney to declare Carrick the man to bring the good times back. “100% he should (get the job),” Rooney told the BBC after United's 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Sunday.
“We have seen the players play with more quality, more together as a team, and they look like a very strong team. Why would you change? ” Carrick was hired in January as temporary coach to rescue a season that was imploding under former coach Ruben Amorim.
The former United midfielder, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during a trophy-laden playing career with United, was only given a contract until the end of the season while United weighed up long-term options. But United's turnaround - going from sixth when Amorim was fired to third following a string of wins that included games against Manchester City and Arsenal - has led to growing calls for Carrick to get a long-term deal. “It’s only noise if you listen to it.
It doesn’t affect me one bit," Carrick said after the win against Villa. “I’m in this position at the moment, doing the best I can. "Whatever’s going to happen is going to happen.
” Competition for the job Speculation was rife regarding potential candidates to take over when Amorim was fired in January - becoming the sixth permanent United manager or head coach to be discarded since club great Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Thomas Tuchel, Oliver Glasner, Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto De Zerbi and Luis Enrique were among a slew of reported options. The field appears to have narrowed with Tuchel signing an extension with England, while the reputations of Glasner and De Zerbi have not been enhanced over the past few months.
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