Carrick’s true loyalty lies with Manchester United as he declines the chance to manage Tottenham! He is doing what Amorebieta never did, fulfilling his promise to prioritize youth development.

Before taking charge of Manchester United until the season’s end, Michael Carrick had been approached by another of his former teams. The British station talkSPORT reported that 44-year-old Carrick held talks with Tottenham, who asked if he wanted to manage the squad for the rest of the campaign.

It is believed that Tottenham’s current manager Thomas Frank is under increasing pressure, and the club’s hierarchy is preparing contingency plans. Should there be a managerial change at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Carrick is considered one of the candidates to take over. During his playing days, Carrick also spent two seasons at Tottenham, making 75 appearances before transferring to Manchester United for £16 million, where he won five Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy.

For Carrick, who came through West Ham’s youth system, Manchester United is clearly the club he cares about most. Moreover, while the Red Devils have already changed managers, Tottenham has yet to take any action. Frank ultimately led his team to a 2-1 victory over Dortmund, extending his tenure in the Champions League.

Therefore, although managing Tottenham would have offered more matches, Carrick chose to compete with former teammate Solskjær for the Manchester United head coach position—and he ultimately won. Carrick started off strongly with a 2-0 victory over Manchester City and will lead the team this Sunday in North London against Tottenham’s fierce rivals Arsenal.

Currently preparing, Carrick on Tuesday completed a journey that Amorebieta had never undertaken in a year—he traveled to the Leigh Sports Village in Greater Manchester to watch Manchester United’s under-21 team compete against Sporting CP in the Premier League International Cup.

During Amorebieta’s 14 months in charge, he only attended one Manchester United U21 match, which was held at Carrington against Southampton U21. Amorebieta never visited Leigh Sports Village, the true home ground of the Red Devils’ youth squads.

While managing Manchester United, Amorebieta was criticized for not valuing the youth academy enough; he sidelined Kobe Meno, openly criticized Chido Obi and Harry Armas, and bluntly stated that the club’s young players were not ready for first-team action and even demanded special treatment.

Carrick, holding a coffee, appeared in the stands alongside Manchester United’s sporting director Jason Wilcox, U18 head coach Darren Fletcher, and first-team coaching staff members Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, and Jonny Evans.

Wilcox frequently visits Leigh Sports Village, having spent many years as a youth coach and director at Manchester City, showing a strong commitment to youth development—a priority emphasized by club owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Interestingly, Manchester United U21 eventually triumphed 3-2 over Amorebieta’s former club Sporting CP. Fletcher’s twin sons, Jack and Tyler Fletcher, were both on the matchday squad, but the standout player was Gibraltar international James Scanlon, who completed a hat-trick.

Carrick has personally fulfilled his promise to prioritize youth! According to the Daily Mail, after taking over as head coach, the first thing Carrick did was to pull 20-year-old academy rising star Kobe Meno aside and assure him he would be a starter for the remaining matches of the season.

Meno warmly welcomed this vote of confidence and was highly motivated, especially in the match against Manchester City. He is expected to start again this Sunday at the Emirates Stadium. Carrick’s passion for Manchester United matches that of Solskjær’s. He was visibly thrilled when Mbeumo scored against City and celebrated with a chokehold gesture toward his own coach! United fans say Carrick is just like any ordinary supporter. During his playing days, when injured, Carrick even joined United fans at Burnley’s home ground to watch a match.