David Ornstein has shed some light on Michael Carrick’s situation at Manchester United amid growing expectations he will land the permanent managerial role.

This afternoon’s win means the Englishman’s record stands at a hugely impressive 10 wins, two draws and two defeats since he took the reins in mid-January.

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Why United fans are rallying behind Michael Carrick

What’s particularly impressive, though, is that he has orchestrated a United side that looked completely bereft of confidence and creativity to oversee emphatic victories over Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool in his short reign.

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The latter marked a first league double against the Merseyside outfit in a decade, albeit credit must also be given to Ruben Amorim for that feat, given the reverse fixture at Anfield came in the final months of his tenure.

However, it also secured United’s spot in the Champions League for 2026/2027, which was the primary task assigned to Carrick when INEOS appointed him at the start of the year.

Michael Carrick has done an incredible job at @ManUtd

No side has taken more points since he returned to Old Trafford in January pic.twitter.com/c6quPbeXv9

— Premier League (@premierleague) May 3, 2026

Could Andoni Iraola replace Carrick?

With the large majority of highly-regarded managers all tied down into deals with their respective clubs, the one candidate who’s thought to pose a serious threat to Carrick staying long-term is Andoni Iraola.

The Spaniard is preparing for his final three matches in the dugout for Bournemouth, after which he will depart the Vitality Stadium for pastures new.

EXCLUSIVE: Andoni Iraola to leave Bournemouth when contract ends this summer. #AFCB did everything to keep head coach but 43yo chose to go + successor process under way – Kieran McKenna high among options. W/ @MarioCortegana @Dan_Sheldon_ @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/YrECN7Xdr3

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) April 14, 2026

Fabrizio Romano has previously confirmed that Iraola would be open to managing United, which INEOS chiefs will have undoubtedly taken note of.

What Ornstein had to say about Carrick’s situation

“Well, Champions League qualification was the aim when Michael Carrick was put in charge to replace Ruben Amorim,” Ornstein told NBC Sports during their broadcast of United vs Liverpool, which he subsequently shared to his Instagram at full-time.

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“But when that was set as the aim, it was not the automatic consequence that he would receive the job as a prize for it. Of course, Carrick has done fantastically well so far, and he has put himself in a really strong position to get the role on a permanent basis. It would feel very difficult not to give it to him now in the eyes of many of us, but that doesn’t mean it’s a fait accompli.

“It’s the duty of Jason Wilcox, the Director of Football leading this process, Chief Executive Omar Berrada, the ownership, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers to conduct a proper process, and to get what they feel to be the best possible candidate.

“We all know there are more experienced options out there than Michael Carrick. There are people who have won trophies, who have managed transfer windows, who have juggled European and domestic competitions, which Carrick hasn’t done so far. But many of them are not available.

“And I think if you were talking about the big hitters, the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Luis Enrique, Carlo Ancelotti, we might be having a very different conversation here, but they’re not on the market. The likes of Iraola, [Oliver] Glasner, [Marco] Silva, [and Xabi] Alonso are.”