![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_Arsenal-v-Manchester-United-Premier-League.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMichael Carrick has won his first two games as Manchester United’s new head coach but Paul Scholes still cannot see the former Red Devils midfielder being the boss long-term<\/p>\n
21:59, 26 Jan 2026Updated 22:13, 26 Jan 2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Michael Carrick has made an instant impact as Manchester United’s new head coach(Image: Zohaib Alam – MUFC, Manchester United via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Paul Scholes reckons Manchester United<\/a>‘s previous experiences with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer<\/a> will make the club reluctant to install Michael Carrick<\/a> as their long-term head coach despite his fine start to life in the hotseat.<\/p>\n Carrick, who was previously a member of Solskjaer’s coaching team, returned to Old Trafford earlier this month on a contract until the end of the season after Ruben Amorim was sacked by the Red Devils<\/a>. The former Middlesbrough<\/a> manager, who left the Championship side by mutual consent back in the summer, has made an instant impact in the role, beating Manchester City<\/a> and Arsenal<\/a> in his first two games.<\/p>\n United’s impressive upturn in both performances and results under Carrick has already fuelled suggestions that he could be a genuine contender to land the head coach position on a longer contract.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Palmer’s stance on Man Utd move, Liverpool block star’s exit, Kane talks emerge<\/a>READ MORE: Cole Palmer ‘open to stunning Man Utd transfer’ as Chelsea issue comes to light<\/a><\/p>\n But Scholes believes United will be “scarred” by their previous experience of giving Solskjaer the job permanently off the back of a superb interim spell – and that is likely to affect Carrick’s chances of following suit.<\/p>\n Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football<\/a> podcast, the former United midfielder said of Carrick: “He\u2019s come into the job now and it\u2019s been that bad for a year that it couldn\u2019t really get any worse so the pressure isn\u2019t really on you while you\u2019re interim manager. Once you take that<\/a> job full-time, at the start of the season next year, let\u2019s say, all of a sudden you\u2019ve got to be winning games straightaway.<\/p>\n “They will be scarred a little bit from the Ole [Gunnar Solksjaer] thing. If the Ole thing hadn\u2019t have happened then it would probably be more likely.<\/p>\n Paul Scholes doesn’t see Carrick keeping the United job beyond the end of the season(Image: YouTube\/The Good, the Bad and the Football Podcast)<\/p>\n “But if Michael has got to go up against, say, Thomas Tuchel in the summer then there\u2019s only one winner if you\u2019re looking at coaching big clubs and winning big prizes so you can\u2019t really compete with that.”<\/p>\n Nicky Butt<\/a> was in agreement and believes Carrick will know the score in that his chances of becoming Manchester United’s long-term head coach are slim. “I think Michael is that bright and intelligent, he\u2019ll understand the job that he\u2019s got,” Butt added.<\/p>\n “I can\u2019t ever imagine Michael going on the TV\u2026 maybe his last game if he\u2019s third or something like that\u2026 but up until then, he knows he\u2019s got a contract until the end of the season to get the club moving forward in the right direction for the next manager.<\/p>\n Thomas Frank is under huge pressure at Spurs and Scholes thinks Carrick could put himself in the frame for the job at his old club(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n “He\u2019ll know that and I know Michael well, he won\u2019t be out there, he\u2019s not stupid enough to say, ‘Yeah, I want the job’, because that\u2019s not what he signed up to.<\/p>\n “His next job, if he wants to stay in football as a manager for another club, would be a good job if he does well here.”<\/p>\n Scholes then suggested Carrick could take charge of another of his old teams, Tottenham Hotspur, saying: “It could be like a Tottenham<\/a> manager from this [for Carrick]. It wouldn\u2019t surprise me.”<\/p>\n Join our new WhatsApp community<\/a> and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football<\/strong> content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us – and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package<\/p>\n This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/a> \u00a343<\/p>\n \u00a335<\/p>\n Sky<\/p>\n![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_Screenshot-730.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Thomas](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_GettyImages-2257757906.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Content](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\")
<\/p>\n