Jose Mourinho Backs Michael Carrick Amid Manchester United Struggles
Jose Mourinho has never been shy with an opinion on Manchester United. This time, though, the former Old Trafford manager kept it short and strikingly simple when asked about Michael Carrick’s early months in the job.
“He's doing well Michael, doing well,” Mourinho said. Then came the follow-up line, delivered with the same calm certainty: “I'm happy with that.”
For a man who once had Carrick at the heart of his backroom staff, the endorsement carries weight, even as the current United boss finds himself walking into a storm.
From smooth audition to rough reality
Carrick earned the role on a permanent basis after a composed and impressive interim spell. He steadied a listing United side, dragged them to a third-place finish and restored their Champions League status. It felt, at the time, like a natural progression: the quiet leader in the dressing room stepping into the main office.
The full-time chapter has opened with far less romance.
United’s 2026/27 league campaign has lurched from frustration to alarm. An opening-day defeat to newly-promoted Hull City set the tone, the kind of result that instantly strips away any pre-season optimism. A late, draining draw with Everton followed, the points slipping away in a manner that gnaws at confidence.
Then came the derby.
A 1-0 loss to a 10-man Manchester City side on Sunday cut deeper than the scoreline suggested. United had the numerical advantage, the stage, the need. They still left empty-handed. Performances, not just results, have begun to trouble the stands.
Yes, there have been goals. A 5-2 win over Ipswich Town brought some release, a reminder that this squad can still cut loose. A comfortable Champions League victory over Sabah FK added another tick in the right column. But those games have not shifted the mood. They have felt like detours rather than turning points, bright spells in a sky that remains overcast.
Carrick has tried to keep the gaze forward, insisting the club cannot dwell on early setbacks. The fixture list, however, offers no space for reflection.
Pressure building, words kept brief
Brighton & Hove Albion await in the cup, awkward and ambitious. Then Fulham at the weekend, another test of nerve as much as talent. If those matches do not go to plan, the scrutiny around Carrick will intensify. A former fan favourite in midfield or not, Old Trafford rarely grants long grace periods when results falter.
That is the context into which Mourinho’s words dropped.
The Real Madrid manager, who took charge of 144 United games between May 2016 and December 2018, knows the scale of the job better than most. His time in Manchester brought three trophies – the Community Shield, the Europa League and the League Cup – and a constant debate about style, identity and standards.
He also knows Carrick the coach, not just Carrick the player. When Mourinho was sacked and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came in, Carrick remained, a bridge between regimes, trusted enough to survive the upheaval.
So when Mourinho says, “He's doing well,” it is not the bland politeness of a distant observer. It is the assessment of someone who has watched Carrick grow from lieutenant to leader.
Whether that backing from Madrid will mean anything if the results at Old Trafford do not turn is another matter entirely. The calendar is unforgiving, the expectations even more so. Carrick has Mourinho’s approval. Now he needs something far harder to secure: momentum.
