Brilliant Michael Carrick wins prestigious award at the first time of trying, INEOS will be loving this

The Premier League has confirmed Michael Carrick as January’s Barclays Manager of the Month after a dream start to his stint in the Manchester United dugout. The official announcement credits the 44-year-old with overseeing a statement month featuring victories over the sides occupying the top two places in the table. Published by the Premier League, Carrick’s award is his first in the competition. Transformation at Old Trafford Carrick stepped in during mid-January following Ruben Amorim’s departure, taking charge on an interim basis. His reign opened with a 2-0 derby day win over Manchester City – courtesy of goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu – a result that immediately reset the mood around Old Trafford. United then followed it up with a 3-2 triumph away at Arsenal – with goals from Mbeumo and Dorgu once again, as well as Matheus Cunha – handing Mikel Arteta’s side a first home league defeat of the season. United collected twice as many points from Carrick’s two January fixtures as they managed across the three matches prior. Those earlier outings came against Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Burnley respectively, with the trio being among the bottom six at the time. Rare interim honour Carrick’s recognition is also notable for how uncommon it is for an interim boss to win the prize. He is one of only seven interim managers or head coaches to be named Manager of the Month, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the only other United boss to do so during an interim spell, back in January 2019. Other names listed as interim winners include Darren Moore, Mike Jackson, Mike Phelan, Rafael Benitez, and Phil Thompson. Carrick is also the first English manager or head coach to win the award since April 2024. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Latest Top Stories… Okari Wambunya Okari Wambunya is a football writer at The Peoples Person, covering Manchester United with fast, accurate, and source-led news, analysis, opinions, team developments, injuries, press conferences, and matchday reactions. A former secondary school teacher, he now coaches college football (not soccer) and continues to support young people through academic mentoring and youth work. He holds a BA (Hons) in English from Brunel University London and an MA in Education from King’s College London, with experience across digital journalism and broadcast sports media. Okari first praised Michael Carrick in a blog post he wrote at 16-years-old in 2014; over a decade later, United appointing Carrick as interim head coach feels like a full-circle moment.