Jose Mourinho Supports Michael Carrick Amid Manchester United Challenges

Jose Mourinho has never been shy with an opinion on Manchester United. This time, though, the former Old Trafford boss kept it simple – and firmly onside – when asked about the man now in the dugout, his former assistant Michael Carrick.

“He's doing well Michael, doing well,” Mourinho said when pressed on Carrick’s tenure. Then came the follow-up, short but telling: “I'm happy with that.”

No grand lecture. No tactical sermon. Just a clear endorsement from a manager whose standards at United were unforgiving.

Carrick under early pressure

Carrick’s permanent appointment came with a warm glow. After stepping in on an interim basis, he had steadied a listing club, dragged them to a third-place finish and restored Champions League football. It felt like a natural progression: the quiet midfielder who once dictated United’s tempo now trusted to shape its future from the touchline.

The new campaign has cut through that sentiment.

United’s 2026/27 league season opened with a jolt. A defeat to newly-promoted Hull City on the first day set nerves jangling. A late, draining draw with Everton followed, the kind of result that leaves a stadium muttering rather than roaring. Then came Sunday: a 1-0 loss to 10-man Manchester City, the sort of derby defeat that lingers far longer than three points dropped.

Yes, there have been goals and glimpses. A 5-2 win over Ipswich Town and a comfortable victory against Sabah FK in the Champions League showed United can still overwhelm weaker opponents. The scoreboard looked healthy. The performances did not always match it.

Supporters have seen this film before. Flickers of promise, then a stumble. Carrick has insisted the squad will not dwell on early setbacks, speaking of looking forward rather than back. The fixture list, though, is in no mood to wait.

A familiar glare on the touchline

The next few days will test Carrick’s composure as much as his tactics. A cup tie against Brighton & Hove Albion looms, followed by a league meeting with Fulham. Neither fixture screams crisis, yet both now feel loaded.

Win them, and the noise drops a notch. Lose, or even labour through them, and the questions grow louder: about the style, the structure, the direction under a manager still carving out his identity.

Mourinho knows that glare well. Across 144 games in charge of United between May 2016 and December 2018, he lived inside the pressure cooker. He left with three trophies – the Community Shield, the Europa League and the League Cup – and a reputation for demanding loyalty and resilience from those around him.

Carrick was one of those trusted lieutenants, a quiet constant in Mourinho’s backroom staff. When Mourinho departed and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived, Carrick stayed on, a rare thread of continuity in a club that has changed faces and philosophies at dizzying speed.

Now, as Real Madrid manager, Mourinho watches his former midfielder from a distance, offering public backing at a time when the mood around Old Trafford is again twitchy.

The message is not elaborate, not wrapped in caveats or conditions. For now, from one former United manager to the current one, it is simple: Carrick is “doing well.”

The next week will reveal how long that verdict holds.