Carrick made permanent Manchester United head coach until 2028

Manchester United confirmed Michael Carrick as permanent head coach in May 2026, turning his interim role into a contract running to 2028. The announcement came after the club had secured qualification for the Champions League, Europe's top club competition, with matches to spare.

Carrick, a former United midfielder who played for the club from 2006 to 2018, took charge in January 2026 after Ruben Amorim was sacked. Under him, United climbed from seventh to third in the Premier League and returned to the Champions League after two seasons away. Reports said the team won most of its games under him and collected one of the strongest points tallies in the league over that period.

The club's director of football, Jason Wilcox, pointed to the return to Europe's elite competition as a significant achievement. The decision ended weeks of speculation about whether United would look for a bigger-name appointment or reward the results of a coach with deep ties to the club. It set the expectations by which his later performances would be judged.