Patrice Evra has urged Manchester United to provide Michael Carrick a probability to prove he’s able to becoming the club’s everlasting manger but admits he has another ‘dream’ candidate in mind to take over.
The previous United midfielder inherited a confidence-starved squad from Ruben Amorim in January but has completely transformed the mood at Old Trafford within the space of just eight matches.
Landmark wins over Manchester City and Arsenal provided an quick shot within the arm and further positive results against the likes of Everton, Fulham and Crystal Palace have further strengthened the Red Devils’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Even after a primary defeat of Carrick’s tenure last week against Newcastle, United look well placed to make a return to Europe’s elite club competition, a prospect that looked distant at best when he took over.
Whether Champions League football will probably be enough to persuade the United board he’s the person for the long-term stays to be seen and Evra fears it could be too hard to disregard the credentials of Luis Enrique were he considering the job.
He told Stake: ‘I’m not talking to the Man United board or Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but in my honest opinion, with no disrespect to PSG or Nasser Al-Khelaifi, but Luis Enrique could be a dream coach for Man United.
‘I really like the person, I really like his philosophy, what he went through in his personal life and overcame it shows his personality.
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‘The job he’s done at PSG by bringing them a Champions League without Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe or Neymar, it’s a incredible job.
‘Players would need to work really hard to play for Man United, they’ll need to run quite a bit and I feel Enrique would bring that.
‘But, I don’t think we should always write off Michael Carrick, he’s done an incredible job and we’d like to provide him a possibility.
‘People want a tremendous manager for Man United, but right away, we’d like someone who understands the club and the players.
‘Enrique is a genius tactician and great with players, but I feel Carrick deserves a probability.’
Regardless who’s on the United helm next term, resolving the long run of Bruno Fernandes will represent a priority.
The 31-year-old is having fun with a stellar campaign but even the lure of Champions League football might not be enough to persuade him to stay on the Theatre of Dreams.
‘Man United nearly lost Bruno Fernandes at the beginning of the season and Ruben Amorim was capable of get him to remain.’ added Evra.
‘Players with Bruno’s calibre can at all times go to any club and win trophies elsewhere, but he’s at Man United. He believes within the history of the club, he’s a captain, his family is likely to be settled in Manchester.
‘Some players have left Man United and gone on to win trophies, but they didn’t have the identical impact there as they did at Man United.
‘I feel Bruno can have a number of opportunities in the summertime, it’s as much as him whether he desires to go.’
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