Sir Jim Ratcliffe pulls Michael Carrick to one side – broadcaster shares Man United tunnel reveal
Michael Carrick is doing everything he possibly can to prove that he can lead Man United on a permanent basis.
Man United beat Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, with the Red Devils now having handed both the Gunners and Man City massive blows to their title hopes in the last two weeks.
Matheus Cunha‘s stunning late strike was the winner for the visitors, who now look a strong contender for the top four.
Football Insider revealed last week that Carrick needs to secure Champions League qualification to be considered by Man United permanently.
Xavi is among the managers linked with Man United in recent days, but should Carrick complete the transformation of Ruben Amorim‘s team, he will be hard to ignore.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe interrupts interview to talk to Michael Carrick
Arsenal were massive favourites for Sunday’s clash, and they got off to a good start when Martin Odegaard‘s shot deflected in off Lisandro Martinez for the opener.
But the Gunners seemed to retract into their shell after the deadlock was broken, making numerous mistakes with the ball.
| Arsenal | Match stats | Man United |
| 56% | Possession | 44% |
| 15 | Shots | 10 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 1.19 | Expected goals (xG) | 0.71 |
Martin Zubimendi‘s careless pass was seized upon by Bryan Mbeumo for the equaliser, and just five minutes after the break, Patrick Dorgu put Man United ahead with a stunning half-volley.
Mikel Merino bundled in a leveller for Arsenal late on, but sloppy midfield play allowed the substitute Cunha to drive forward and place a venomous shot into the bottom corner.
In a social media post, Jan Aage Fjortoft explained that he had been waiting to speak to Carrick after the game when the pair were interrupted.
He wrote: “A representative from Manchester United stopped my preparations and said: – Michael, Sir Jim wants to see!
“So out he went having a chat with him in the tunnel. And we got Carrick outside at our table Pitchside, where we could ask him about his “meeting”.”
Carrick sheds light on Ratcliffe discussion as Peter Schmeichel jokes
Ratcliffe and INEOS have taken plenty of criticism for their decisions since arriving at Man United.
Unattractive financial choices, the poor treatment of staff, selection of managers and transfer targets have all been targeted areas of criticism for the ownership group.
Should Carrick lead Man United to the top four, however, they will surely gain some deserved praise for the decision to bring him back.
“Not much, as you’d expect,” the 44-year-old said when asked by Viaplay what had been said between the two.
“I think there’s a lot of happy bodies around the camp today, and he’s delighted as well so it was nice to see him.”
Peter Schmeichel joked: “Didn’t ask you to come to his office tomorrow?” To which, Carrick said: “Not yet Pete.”