Man Utd secure Champions League spot – why not appoint Michael Carrick now?

Club officials have said they want to wait and carry out a full assessment of the situation at the end of the season.

Is that necessary? Is there an argument to say Carrick’s status should be confirmed before the final home game of the season against Nottingham Forest on 17 May?

Carrick clearly feels, together with his coaching team and squad, that he has done a good job.

“It has been a good run,” he said. “We have beaten some very good teams.

“When we came in, the Champions League was a bit in the distance. We wanted to get back into Europe. To be there with three games to spare is a big achievement.

“One of the biggest things for me is trying to get the best out of players, helping people and letting them go out and perform.

“Then there is seeing this place alive and bouncing.

“The players need a lot of credit for the run we have put together and also the coaching staff. There is a lot of good work beyond me.

“The pleasing thing to see is the spirit and the camaraderie of the group, which you could see at 2-2, when they were sticking in and fighting for each other.

“We want a team to be proud of. It [the Champions League] is a huge step for so many reasons, and I am not underplaying that.

“But it can’t be everything. We expect more of that consistently. That is the message – let’s kick on.”

United fans would doubtless agree, especially those who remember the team Carrick was part of – and the ones before that – who were never allowed to settle for what they had done, as Sir Alex Ferguson always wanted more.

That is the mentality Carrick has.

Dion Dublin was part of Ferguson’s first Premier League title-winning squad. He understands the club.

“Beating Liverpool ticks all the boxes,” Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“It’s decision-making. It’s substitutions at the right time. He’s got his team to find a way to get a result. That’s what a manager does.

“Well done Carrick. Well done United.”