Wayne Rooney has called on Manchester United to take swift action in appointing a permanent manager, or risk failing to attract their key targets in the summer transfer window.
United are considering their long-term options following the sacking of Ruben Amorim in January, with Michael Carrick taking the reins on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
But there is growing support behind the appointment of Carrick on a permanent basis, with the former midfielder securing the club’s return to the Champions League.
United have a big summer ahead and need to improve their strength in depth. Daily Mail Sport understands the club are looking to spend £150million on midfield reinforcements alone, but Rooney says their chances of landing their main targets are threatened by the lack of clarity in the dugout.
Speaking on Match of the Day, he said: ‘Manchester United need to invest in players in the summer in order to compete in the Premier League next season, in the Champions League next season, which is where they want to be. They have to invest.
Wayne Rooney has urged Manchester United to make a quick decision on their next manager
Michael Carrick is the frontrunner to land the job permanently but United are in no rush
‘They have to strengthen the squad and I don’t think there’s any denying that. Now, if I was a player and Man United wanted to sign me, the first question I’d ask, ‘Who is the manager? Does the manager want me?’ So I think [they need] to have clarity on the manager.’
Rooney backed his former team-mate to land the permanent job.
He added: ‘I think for the club to announce him, I think they need to do it swiftly because they need to get players in. They need to get players to improve that team.’
Although Carrick is the firm favourite to be appointed on a full-time basis, United bosses are in no rush to make a final decision and will weigh up all their options over the next few weeks.
But last Friday Carrick dismissed the suggestion that he might find the situation uncomfortable, saying: ‘No, genuinely not. Whether it’s discussed or not discussed, it hasn’t bothered me.
‘It hasn’t changed how I go about it. I’ve been confident in the work that we’re doing and working with the players and leading the club, so it literally hasn’t had any effect on me at all no.
‘I think it’s pretty obvious it’s going to be a process, obviously from the outset in terms of finding someone to fill the position in the end.’
Casemiro and Matheus Cunha are the latest United players to say publicly that Carrick deserves to keep the job after guiding his team to 10 wins in 14 games ahead of Saturday’s trip to Sunderland.
‘I think as a coach or manager, you’re only a leader of a group if people want to follow you,’ added Carrick. ‘It’s not a thing that you can talk about so much, it’s actions that prove that.
But Rooney fears United will miss out on their key targets if they linger for too long
‘So when I feel the support and I feel that the boys are all connected – not so much with me, but showing it together on the pitch – that’s the most important thing.
‘They’ve clearly shown that in different ways, and that’s the most pleasing thing. It’s satisfying when you can see them putting it together as a team.’
Those opposed to Carrick getting the full-time job point to the dip in results after United gave interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a three-year contract in 2019.
‘A lot happened before in all sorts of different ways, whether it’s interim getting the job, not getting the job, whether it’s having success or not success,’ said Carrick, who was a first-team coach under Solskjaer.
‘So I think the past is the past. I’ve learned from the past, I’ve learned from my own experiences. It’s mixed throughout history and football, so to compare other things and how it’s gone before, I think it doesn’t necessarily give you a good gauge of what’s going on now and what needs to happen next.
‘That’s not me personally, I just think that’s the situation we’re in right now.’
Despite having to wait for a final decision, Carrick admits it’s inevitable he has thought ahead to how he would take the club forward next season.
‘Of course it’s something that has crossed my mind; leaving it in a place at the end of the season where if it was me or somebody else, it’s there to take even further,’ he said.
‘I think that’s a natural process to be crossing your mind. There’s always things that maybe we can do a little bit better, or we’ll improve on, or maybe go in a different direction. That’s just part of evolving.’
