Rio Ferdinand has offered a thoughtful assessment of Michael Carrick’s interim appointment as Manchester United manager, urging patience while stressing the need for higher standards across the squad.
Carrick was named caretaker boss on January 13, 2026, following the departure of Ruben Amorim after a turbulent run of results, a decision confirmed by the club and reported by SoftFootball.
The former United midfielder now steps into a role that comes with immediate pressure, scrutiny, and expectation at Old Trafford. Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ferdinand made it clear in a video shared on the official X account that questioning a manager is simply part of the job, regardless of reputation.
He pointed to Pep Guardiola as a clear example, explaining that even sustained success does not shield anyone from doubt. According to Ferdinand, if Guardiola can still face criticism after years of trophies, then Carrick should expect even more intense examination given the fragile state of confidence around the club.
As Ferdinand put it:
Pep has won for the last how many other eight or nine years at City. He’s still getting drilled with questions of doubt and is that right what you’re doing there? Is this right? Getting questioned. So a fella that’s actually just come in a job and losing or the confidence is on the floor at the football club and the club’s in turmoil, he’s going to get questions and he’s going to get questions he probably don’t want to hear.
Ferdinand’s main focus, however, was not on external noise but on what Carrick must do internally. He stressed that extracting more from the current squad will define whether the interim spell is viewed as a success.
In his view, the United team still has untapped potential across the board, with no player exempt from improvement. He singled out Bruno Fernandes as an example, not as criticism, but as a challenge for growth within an already high-performing player.
He added that performance standards must rise collectively, saying:
Getting the best out of the players is a key factor in him doing well. And he’s got to get more out of every single one of these players in this team. There’s no player in there that I don’t feel there’s room still for a bit of improvement.
Ferdinand concluded by including Fernandes in that bracket, noting:
And I think Bruno’s even included in that because as great as he is and as consistent as he’s been, I’m sure there’s parts of his game where he’s sitting there going, I think I could do a bit more here.
For Carrick, the message is clear. The pressure will not ease, but improvement from within could be his strongest response.
