The Sacking
Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim was sacked early in 2026, on Jan. 5, to be exact. Ending the fourteenth month stay on the red side of Manchester. The firing came after a stalemate in a prior Premier League outing against regional rivals Leeds United on Jan. 4. American midfielder Brenden Aaronson of Leeds opened the scoring before being canceled out by a lovely Matheus Cunha strike only minutes later. In the aftermath of what was a disappointing result by Manchester United standards, and a second successive draw against inferior opposition, Ruben Amorim took the press. Disgruntled at the lack of support from the board, including club C.E.O. Omar Bareda, Amorim spoke about being the manager of Manchester United and not just the coach. Following the conference, Amorim was sacked.
Darren Fletcher
In the meantime, Manchester United’s Under-18s coach took over caretaker responsibilities of the team. This was Darren Fletcher, a once-great United midfielder. He made the decision that the team would switch back to the classic four-three-three formation, an uncommon formation under Amorim’s tenure. The team stumbled to a draw at Burnley and a loss to Brighton in the FA Cup during Fletcher’s limited time in charge. His management of the first team was seen as always temporary and the club searched frantically for a caretaker replacement for the rest of this season. They settled on two options, both of whom were previous players and managers of Manchester United. Former striker and Norwegian international Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was considered, but ultimately the club decided on Michael Carrick.
Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick also once played in Manchester United’s midfield. He previously managed the Red Devils over a short period of games. He drew two and drew one. Carrick’s United team in late 2021 pulled off victories against Villarreal and Arsenal, as well as a draw against a strong Chelsea team. Carrick was then relieved of his duties and went on to manage Middlesbrough FC for about two and a half seasons. The choice of hire was skeptical amongst the public.
“I wasn’t really confident in Michael Carrick, and I didn’t really know too much about him,” senior Sienna Yamins said.
Derby Test
The new coach’s first match would prove a difficult challenge. A Manchester derby against second-place Manchester City. Expectations were low, as Man City had just come off a back-to-back win. New Jan. signing Antoine Semenyo had also scored in the prior two outings for the sky blues, so he was also expected to get on the score sheet in a routine derby win. Normality was anything but what actually followed. In his first game in charge, Carrick’s Red Devils stormed to a dominant two-zero win over City. Both Bryan Mbuemo and Patrick Dorgu got on the scoresheet to secure the win.
“I can’t say I wasn’t surprised with Man United winning, it seemed unlikely,” senior Diana Smolens said.
Against Future Champions
Despite how confident the Red Devils seemed against Man City, many chalked it down to a fluke. The real challenge would come against the lead leaders in the very next game. A trip to the Emirates and first-placed Arsenal would surely prove if Manchester United were truly turning a corner. The match didn’t start particularly well for United, as defender Lisandro Martinez turned in an own goal early on in the match. However, Bryan Mbeumo returned to the scoresheet to equalize. In the second half, incredible long shots from Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha led Manchester United to an unbelievable win.
“Against Arsenal, I didn’t think that United could do it, but they proved me wrong,” junior Atharv Malpani said.
Against two of the strongest Premier League teams, Michael Carrick has had an amazing start to life as manager. United now sit in fourth position and seek even more victory against Tottenham Hotspur in the coming days. Can Carrick maintain this run of form? Only time will tell, but what can be certain is that he’s already brought priceless memories for fans from his short tenure as coach.
