Man Utd: Michael Carrick emulates Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's flying start but can he achieve long-term success?
Michael Carrick has overseen victories in his first four games as Man Utd boss, rejuvenating the club after Ruben Amorim's exit; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also made a winning start in 2018, with similarities between their approach to restore confidence and United's traditional style of play
Monday 9 February 2026 10:11, UK
It's four from four for Michael Carrick, Man Utd are rejuvenated and the similarities with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's instant impact in 2018 are striking.
Carrick first had a taste of managing United as a caretaker following Solskjaer's exit in 2021 and any scepticism about his long-term suitability for the role is wedded to how it unravelled for the former super sub who couldn't sustain his stunning start.
But Old Trafford is buzzing again and there's no doubt Carrick has recaptured that flow, feeling and freedom United enjoyed at the beginning of Solskjaer's tenure in 2018/19, when the Norwegian took the wheel.
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Goals are flying in, an unshackled No 10 is pulling the strings, and refound confidence is coursing through the team with a sense the traditional style of play at Man Utd has been reclaimed.
Carrick's United have scored 10 in his four games in charge, having managed just one per game in Amorim's final four. That's shy of Solskjaer's total at the start of his interim spell but the calibre of opponent has been trickier and they could easily have had more, against City in particular.
"After the negative performances under Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer seemed to give his players a freedom to express themselves" we wrote on these pages in 2018, when United thumped Cardiff 5-1 in Solskjaer's first game.
The same sentiment applies to Carrick's United - a gameplan simplified yet, as he said himself, a team "playing with purpose".
And the creator in chief? Back in 2018 it was Paul Pogba in the No 10. So often the scapegoat during the Mourinho era, who made headlines with a famously frosty training ground greeting with his manager, under Solskjaer Pogba was renewed.
His four goal involvements in Solskjaer's first two games was as many as he'd managed in Mourinho's final 12 matches. His four goals across Solskjaer's games two and three were as many as he'd scored in Mourinho's final 20.
Bruno Fernandes' output has been impressive throughout the season, especially given United's struggles under Amorim. But he too is now playing with added verve, restored to a No 10 role from a deeper position thanks to Carrick's tactical shake-up.
It's four assists and a goal from four games under Carrick for Fernandes. "Carrick came in with the right ideas, giving the players the responsibility and freedom on the pitch," was the United captain's assessment after adding the second to seal the win against Spurs on Saturday.
That goal was from a fantastic Diogo Dalot cross but against City and at Arsenal United have also been excellent on the break. It has been high-energy, intense and end-to-end. A throwback, an echo of the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson - who managed and inspired both Solskjaer and Carrick.
"We've been conditioned to believe you cannot play like Manchester United play," Neville said after that derby triumph. "That's what I've been told for the last three, four, five years, 'move on, you can't play that way anymore'.
"You've just watched 90 minutes of exactly what I think this club plays like when it's actually at its very best."
In another nod to the grand traditions of the club, Solskjaer became the first United manager since Sir Matt Busby to win his first four in charge. Now in his permanent role, Carrick has repeated the streak.
But what comes next?
Solskjaer went on to win his first six Premier League games on the spin and with West Ham and Everton next, Carrick could emulate that. Matching Solskjaer's return of 14 wins from his first 19 really would be some going.
But infamously, after signing his contract for the permanent post, Solskjaer oversaw just two wins out of the remaining 10 games that season.
Roy Keane's recent comment that Carrick shouldn't be appointed even if he wins every game until the end of this campaign sparked debate but is a reflection of the scars from Solskjaer's appointment and how he proved not to be the answer in the long run.
"They need a bigger and better manager," said Keane after the victory at Arsenal. "The size of the club and the challenges they face over the next few years, you want a manager who you feel can get them winning league titles."
Solskjaer did go on to achieve two high league finishes and lost a Europa League final on penalties but couldn't attain the titles ultimately expected from the hierarchy after heavy transfer market investment in the squad.
Carrick has made a similar start to Solskjaer but is a club which has experienced multiple false dawns since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement now seeing the foundations created for substantial long-term success?
The arguments about whether Carrick can take the team to the next level will run through the final months of the season to the end of his current deal in the summer, when United will be weighing up their alternatives. But no doubt, Carrick has hit the ground running and raised expectations again at Old Trafford.
