Carragher's Convenient Flip-Flop: Why Carrick Looks Easy Rather Than Ideal for United

Michael Carrick has done a commendable job since stepping into the breach at Manchester United. Since taking temporary charge following Ruben Amorim's sacking in January, the interim boss has steered the club to the brink of Champions League qualification—nine wins and just two defeats from 13 matches is hardly the stuff of panic.

That record has put Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS hierarchy in an awkward spot. How do you look elsewhere when your caretaker is delivering results?

Yet here's where Jamie Carragher's latest Telegraph column starts to feel rather convenient. The Liverpool legend is now declaring Carrick the 'ideal' manager for United, a curious U-turn from his March assessment, when he'd identified a Premier League alternative as the genuinely 'perfect' choice.

Carragher swiftly disposes of Julian Nagelsmann, pointing out that the German coach's World Cup commitments would leave him unavailable for summer discussions about transfers and planning—a legitimate concern, admittedly. Carlo Ancelotti gets similarly short shrift, dismissed as someone whose talents lie in managing squads of established superstars rather than building something anew.

Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain? Sure, Carragher reckons United should pursue him 'if he suddenly became available'—a rather vague caveat that rather glosses over the matter.

What's genuinely revealing is how Carragher treats the other candidates on the radar. Andoni Iraola is acknowledged as 'of interest' and reportedly the strongest contender outside Carrick, yet receives no substantive analysis whatsoever. Why isn't the Spaniard a superior option? The man has tactics and everything.

Then there's Unai Emery—the very manager Carragher himself championed just weeks ago as United's shortlist material. Now he's dismissed on the basis that there's 'no indication he's on the agenda'. Well, that's hardly an insurmountable obstacle. United could simply put him on the agenda. There's precious little chance Emery would reject such an approach.

Carragher's case for Carrick rests on three pillars: his rapport with the squad, a 'tactical masterstroke' repositioning Bruno Fernandes, and the supposed shortage of 'box-office managers' available.

The thing is, that sounds far more like the easy option than the ideal one. Offering Carrick a two-year contract would certainly grant the United decision-makers breathing room to monitor the market for more glamorous prospects down the line. Convenient, certainly. But is it ambitious?

You might suspect there's something else at play here—a preference for the path that least disrupts Liverpool's rivals, perhaps? Carragher got it right the first time. Emery would be the superior choice to revive Manchester United's fortunes.