Manchester United did not explicitly say it, but Michael Carrick signing a contract to the end of the 2027–28 season means he is the manager the club has entrusted to bring ‘Project 150’ to life.
It was a target that chief executive Omar Berrada announced in the early weeks of last season, a vision to become Premier League champions to coincide with—or before—the club marks the 150th anniversary of its 1878 foundation in a railway depot in north-east Manchester. The same goal also applies for the women’s team seeking its maiden WSL title.
Even after United tumbled to 15th in the Premier League last season, Berrada stuck by the ambition. “Why not aim for it?” he told the popular fanzine United We Stand in the summer of 2025. “Why not do everything in our power? I firmly believe we can do it.”
Things have changed considerably since the project’s inception, with United quickly moving on from Erik ten Hag and then backing Ruben Amorim. But Carrick’s audition period suggests he is already closer to realizing the ultimate goal than either of his predecessors.
With the same group of players that Amorim had badly struggled for consistency with, Carrick has taken more points from his first 16 matches in charge than any other Premier League team over the same period of time. It’s led some United fans to even speculate about whether a title challenge this season might have been possible had the change been made sooner. The team’s average points per game under Carrick (2.25) equates to 85.5 over a full season. For reference, champion Arsenal’s maximum tally will be 85, logic which puts the Red Devils in a hypothetical mix.
With that positive momentum and considerable improvement on a 51-year low just 12 months, United certainly are heading in the right direction. But the club must strike while the iron is hot.
Michael Carrick, ‘United DNA’
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