Jose Mourinho has never been shy of a blunt verdict. On Michael Carrick, though, the former Manchester United manager chose something different: calm approval.
“He's doing well Michael, doing well,” said the Real Madrid boss when asked about his former assistant’s work at Old Trafford. “I'm happy with that.”
Short, measured, and delivered at a time when Carrick could easily be feeling the ground move beneath his feet.
Carrick’s uneasy new era
Carrick walked into the job on a wave of goodwill. His interim spell had been sharp and efficient: a third-place finish, Champions League football restored, and a sense that United, at last, had a clear-headed figure on the touchline.
That was the easy part.
The permanent role has opened with a jolt. An opening-day defeat to newly-promoted Hull City set nerves jangling. A late, painful draw with Everton added to the unease. Then came the real punch to the gut: a 1-0 loss to 10-man Manchester City on Sunday, a result that cut through whatever early-season optimism remained.
United have scored goals, yes. A 5-2 win over Ipswich Town showed attacking fluency, and they eased past Sabah FK in the Champions League without breaking stride. The scorelines looked healthy. The performances less so. Supporters have watched on, unconvinced, sensing a team that still doesn’t quite know itself.
Carrick, for his part, has tried to keep eyes forward. After the derby defeat, he spoke of not dwelling on setbacks and of focusing on the games to come. It sounded like a man refusing to be dragged into early-season panic.
But Old Trafford is not a patient place when doubts start to grow.
Mourinho’s quiet endorsement
This is where Mourinho’s words matter. The Portuguese coach knows the scale of the job, the weight of the expectation, and the volatility that lives inside the club. Across 144 matches between May 2016 and December 2018, he delivered the Community Shield, the Europa League, and the League Cup. Silverware, identity, conflict, and drama – the full Mourinho package.
Through that period, Carrick was in his orbit, first as a senior player, then as a trusted member of his backroom staff. Mourinho saw him up close, in the dressing room and on the training pitch, learning the job long before he ever took the reins himself.
So when Mourinho says, “He’s doing well,” it lands as more than a polite nod. It is a public show of faith from a manager who has no reason to offer easy praise.
Pressure building on the touchline
Faith, though, does not shield a manager from fixtures.
Carrick’s next steps are critical. A cup tie against Brighton & Hove Albion looms large. Lose that, and the questions grow louder. Follow it with a poor result against Fulham at the weekend, and the mood around Old Trafford could turn sharper still.
The margins are already thin. A couple of results, a couple of big decisions, and the narrative around Carrick’s reign could swing in either direction. He has the backing of a serial winner in Mourinho, a man who once chose to keep him close and trusted his judgement.
Now Carrick has to show that trust was well placed – not on the training ground, not in theory, but in the unforgiving rhythm of a season that has barely started and already feels like a test of his authority.
