MICHAEL OWEN is adamant that Michael Carrick deserves the Manchester United job.
And he has warned Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he will be “lynched” if he makes the wrong call.
Ratcliffe and his Old Trafford chiefs gave Carrick an interim role until the end of the season after sacking Ruben Amorim in January.
And the former England midfielder, who won five league titles and a Champions League crown as a United player, has inspired an impressive turnaround.
Carrick has won seven, drawn two and lost one of his 10 games in charge.
But there are still suggestions – including from United legends like Roy Keane and Gary Neville – that Ratcliffe should go after someone more established in the summer.
After watching United struggle under a string of big-name coaches since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, Owen takes a different view.
He told casino.org: “Imagine if you got rid of Michael Carrick, just imagine it, and you brought in whoever – I don’t care who it is, even a born winner, somebody they’ve already had, that type of manager.
“Imagine if things started spiralling, started going poorly again; the ownership would get absolutely lynched.
“I’m astounded by certain people saying no, they shouldn’t appoint him. Astounded. Why on earth is this even a question? I don’t get it.”
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Carrick is the bookies’ favourite to land the permanent job but rival bosses like Oliver Glasner, Julian Nagelsmann and Roberto De Zerbi are also in the frame.
Given how the last couple of months have gone, Owen, who scored 17 goals in 52 United games, reckons the club would be nuts not to give former team-mate Carrick a fair crack – even if it’s only a short-term commitment.
He added: “I’m not saying go and give him a 10-year contract, everything’s perfect. But bloody hell, what more can he do? You’ve just got to let this roll.
“This Manchester United team look like they’re on the way back at this stage. Why would you interfere with anything?
“They’ve tried everything: proven managers, the [Louis] Van Gaals, you’ve had the [Jose] Mourinhos, David Moyes, then they’ve gone for ex-players and given the likes of [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer a go. Then they’ve gone a little bit left field and appointed one or two others.
“And after a dozen years of trying and failing, you land on somebody that’s getting a tune out of the players. How on earth can anybody say that he shouldn’t continue?”
