Michael Carrick made his surprise Manchester United exit out of loyalty to sacked boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, claims Paul Ince… who predicts ex-midfielder now has ‘the taste’ for managing after caretaker spell
- Michael Carrick left Manchester United at the end of his superb caretaker spell
- Ralf Rangnick admitted he was unsuccessful in persuading Carrick to stay put
- Paul Ince has now shared his thoughts on why the assistant coach chose to go
- Ince believes Carrick may have ‘the taste’ for managing after his stint in charge
Michael Carrick made his surprise exit from Manchester United out of loyalty to sacked former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Paul Ince believes.
Carrick, 40, took the reins after Solskjaer was dismissed following the limp 4-1 defeat at Watford, and subsequently oversaw two victories and a draw.
However, after helping his side beat Arsenal in a five-goal thriller, it was announced post-match that the long-serving club legend would leave Old Trafford.
Paul Ince thinks Michael Carrick left Manchester United out of loyalty to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Speaking shortly after the full-time whistle, Carrick admitted that his friendship with to Solskjaer was one of the factors behind his decision.
And Ince believes that, as well as this connection, two other factors may also have weighed on the assistant coach’s mind.
‘I look at this three ways. I managed many a team,’ he told The Mirror. ‘I always took Alex Rae with me who was my number two, a good friend of mine and a top coach.
Carrick was placed in charge for three games after Solskjaer’s axing before leaving the club
‘Every time I left a club I said to Alan “listen you stay, you take over the job and see if you like it”.
‘But he has always said “no, if you go I go” just out of pure loyalty. I am forever thankful for that.
‘But when the news came up that Michael Carrick resigned, was it a situation where Solskjaer was the one that brought me in, who made me assistant and got me a new contract so it was always in his mind that he would go if Ole did. That’s one option.’
Ince, a former United midfielder, has also theorised that Carrick did not want to stay put in order to keep the prospect of working with Solskjaer again in the future alive.
Former United midfielder Ince says Carrick may also want to enter management in the future
He added: ‘Second option is you presume Solskjaer will want to get back on the horse eventually, whether that be in the Championship or another country. In that the case, Carrick can go join Ole again as his No 2.’
His final viewpoint is centred around Carrick wanting to enter management himself.
Having worked under Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer, it is highly likely that the former England man enters the dugout one day.
‘The third option is that he might have got the taste for it,’ Ince said.
Ralf Rangnick admitted he had attempted to persuade Carrick to stay, but was unsuccessful
‘He did ever so well in those three games. Let’s not get carried away, but they were three important games. Villarreal, which they needed to win, the Chelsea draw and beating Arsenal. Those are three tough games.
‘For him to go in and do so well with such little experience, he might be thinking “I can do this job, I’ve got a taste for it. I don’t want to work under someone, I want to find my own feet out there and see if I can get a job as a manager”.’
Rangnick admitted he tried to persuade Carrick to stay on his coaching staff after a lengthy phone call, and his departure was met by an emotional dressing room.
