Louis Saha says Manchester United will be able to attract ‘big names’ like Vinicius Junior if they continue on the same trajectory under Michael Carrick.
Carrick has enjoyed a dream start to his second stint as United’s interim manager having picked up the pieces from Ruben Amorim’s turbulent reign at Old Trafford last month.
The 44-year-old – who won five Premier League titles with United as a player – has led the Red Devils to four successive victories in his opening four matches to put forward his case for the permanent job.
The ex-England international will look to extend his remarkable run when United return to Premier League action away to West Ham this evening, with third-placed Aston Villa now firmly in their sights.
When asked about the possibility of becoming United’s permanent manager, Carrick has remained coy on the subject – reluctant to add any unwanted pressure to what is already one of the most heavily scrutinised gigs in football.
But if results continue on the same upward curve, United bosses will surely have no choice but to at least consider giving Carrick the keys over a more established candidate such as Oliver Glasner, Thomas Tuchel or Luis Enrique.
With uncertainty hanging over the manager’s position, it was clear the club had no plans in place to make additions to their squad in the January transfer window.
But according to Saha, who was team-mates with Carrick for two seasons, ‘nothing is too big’ for United in the summer if they manage to secure Champions League qualification.
The ex-United and France striker told AceOdds: ‘Nothing is too big when Manchester United are playing the way they are playing. They can attract any big name.
‘Vinicius is obviously a Ballon d’Or contender, definitely someone looking to shine, to be in a Champions League spot. I know that because he wants to win individual trophies.’
United prioritised strengthening their attack while Ruben Amorim was still in charge last summer, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko all arriving through the doors.
And while the three forwards commanded a combined transfer fee of around £200million, Saha wouldn’t rule out the possibility of an unsettled Vinicius Junior joining them in Manchester next season.
‘Who knows? That could be a very attractive combination – the team that we see week-in, week-out with Carrick, playing very attractive football,’ he added.
‘It may provide a new platform for a player like Vinicius Junior.’
Having shared a dressing room with Carrick for two years, Saha was initially a little surprised see the midfielder enter the world of management.
‘Honestly, I would say I didn’t see him becoming a manager but I definitely think that he knows every department of the game,’ he explained.
‘Midfielders have a duty of understanding attacking and defending. They have a special place in the game so it was always possible for him to become a manager and change his personality to become more vocal because he wasn’t vocal when we played together.
‘In terms of the quality of his brain, he was one of the best and he played with the best in terms of Paul Scholes so definitely all that experience and playing under Sir Alex Ferguson can only improve you.’
Saha can see Sir Alex Ferguson’s fingerprints all over the impressive work Carrick is doing at the Theatre of Dreams, which, in turn, has brought smiles back to the faces of the players again.
‘He’s brought the beauty of our memories and past Manchester United teams that we love like the combative part of the game, resilience, confidence and the technical part of the game too,’ the Frenchman went on.
‘It’s very very good to see the smile on the face of the players because it means they’re playing with a freedom and not with much thought and the right tactical ideas in the first four games.’
According to Saha, United’s hierarchy should be considering hiring Carrick for the full-time role ‘very, very seriously’ if it wasn’t already a possibility in their thoughts.
‘I would love to see Michael given the chance. He’s done very well. He’s a very hardworking guy but humble as well,’ he continued.
‘The results are going for him at the moment but not only the results, the way the team is playing and performing, we all can see the change straightaway. He’s had the biggest impact since Sir Alex Ferguson.
‘He does provide an answer to the question about the next manager. Necessity, I do think they need to think about Carrick very, very, very seriously there.
‘We know the expectation is so big and sometimes both have certain types of conversations and they want to see a long term plan. Do they see this is a spell where everything is going well for Carrick? Who knows how he reacts when he’s under more pressure.’
Saha added: ‘Maybe he needs to be challenged in that sense to be considered for the full-time role. I don’t know.
‘What I see is that he understands the DNA of the club, he’s been under pressure, maybe not as a manager but as a player, he understands how those managers have reacted before as he was part of the coaching staff. So he understands. He’s not a rookie.
‘I do think he deserves his position but when names like [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Zinedine] Zidane come into play, it’s a kind of a different ball game.’
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