Softfootball understands that after Manchester United’s dramatic 3-2 win over Arsenal, former defender Rio Ferdinand spoke in a video posted by the Rio Met podcast via their official X account about the newly appointed interim head coach, Michael Carrick.
Watch the video below:
With Carrick often being compared to former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was also linked to the interim role, Ferdinand said it’s unfair to judge Carrick the same way, pointing out the differences in style, personality and approach.
Ferdinand made it clear that Carrick is his own man and shouldn’t be measured by what worked or didn’t work for Solskjaer.
He said:
Just because it didn’t work out for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick does not need to be judged by the same metrics as him. Just because he’s an ex-player, he’s an ex-legend of the club, oh, it’s not gonna, no, no, Michael Carrick is his own man. He wears his collars up. Do you know what mean? He’s different to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. So judge him differently, he’s not the same. And he’s gonna bring you different results, he’s gonna bring you different environment, he’s gonna bring you different feedback from the players.
He also wanted to stress that evaluating Carrick isn’t just about results on matchday. Ferdinand suggested that the club’s staff and leadership really need to go in, see how the training ground feels, get a real sense of how Carrick works with the squad, and hear feedback from everyone, not just the players but also the staff around the place.
He added:
The powers that be at the club, the Jason Wilcox’s, the Omar berreda’s have to go into the training ground. They have to smell and feel how it is feeling from now until the end of the season. And so however long they give him, get the feedback from the players, get the feedback from the staff. You know, the staff that are important to ask questions from dinner, ladies, the chef, the people that are around the place that no one sees the cleaners. What’s he like?
Ferdinand’s comments came as Carrick tries to steady a Manchester United side in transition. The Arsenal win gave a small glimpse of what he might bring, but Ferdinand insists you can’t judge him just on a few games. It’s about the environment, the feedback, and the culture he builds at the club over time.
