Michael Carrick is in a strong position to land the Man Utd job on a full-time basis, and there is one question that should be on the minds of Old Trafford decision makers.

If not Michael Carrick, then who? That is the stage we have reached regarding the identity of the Manchester United head coach for next season. They say possession is nine-tenths of the law, and for Carrick, he has made that office at Carrington his own at the moment.

The word ‘interim’ was conspicuously lacking from the job title handed to the former United midfielder when he got the job in January. Instead, he was the head coach on a contract until the end of the season. That made it sound suspiciously like an audition, and right now it is one the 44-year-old is acing.

Victory against Crystal Palace on Sunday extended his unbeaten run in the role to seven games, which rises to 10 if you count his three-match spell as caretaker in November 2021. It also saw him get one over the second favourite for the job, in Oliver Glasner.

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This wasn’t a disaster for Glasner, but the way the afternoon panned out only reinforced the idea that Carrick is turning it into a one-horse race. Palace started well and were deservedly ahead at half-time, but the game turned on the dismissal of Maxence Lacroix early in the second half.

It was a debatable call to dismiss the centre-back, and had he stayed on, perhaps things would have turned out differently for Palace and their Austrian manager, who will leave Selhurst Park at the end of the season. As it was, Carrick came up smelling of roses.

This was another test passed. It was the first time he had been in charge of a United side behind at half-time, so not only did they show spirit to turn the game around, but they capitalised on the man advantage impressively as well and should have scored more than the two they did get.

It would be a brave man to hand Glasner the keys to Old Trafford instead of Carrick now. Not only on the basis of this result, but on Glasner’s recent run at Palace, not to mention a back three system that still brings some United players out in cold sweats. No wonder they looked like they were seeing ghosts for the first 20 minutes on Sunday.

There is also a feeling that the failure of Thomas Frank and, before him, Graham Potter has strengthened the idea that the jump from the Premier League’s middle class to an elite club is too big. That is especially true for coaches who have achieved success in the top flight with a reactive style.

Frank couldn’t translate a workmanlike, set-piece-heavy game plan where Brentford were happy for the opposition to have the ball to Tottenham, and the same question will be asked of Glasner. Palace are 14th for average possession in the Premier League this season.

You could make a similar argument against Marco Silva and Andoni Iraola. They have done a good job at Fulham and Bournemouth respectively and are out of contract this summer, but has what we will now call the Frank principle set them back? And are they really more likely to bring success to United than Carrick, who is building up an impressive body of work in the job at the moment?

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Carrick has delivered results, handled himself well and improved individual players. Crucially, he also has the support of the squad, who have enjoyed his approach and taken to his style.

So, for United to give the job to someone else, it would surely have to be a big hitter. Thomas Tuchel has ruled himself out by signing a new contract with England, while Julian Nagelsmann has a contract with the German FA until 2028. The World Cup is also a major obstacle to appointing an international manager.

Luis Enrique would have to figure highly in conversations if he left Paris St-Germain, given his track record and the attractiveness of his football, but there has been no indication he would be ready to walk out on the Champions League winners and take up what would be a very different challenge at Old Trafford.

Robert De Zerbi is available and has admirers at Old Trafford, while his football would translate more successfully to an elite club. But he is a combustible character, and there is no guarantee he would be more successful than Carrick.

So we go back to the original question. If not Carrick, then who?

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