Does Carrick have what it takes to bring Man Utd back to the top?

Manchester United have two years to meet their ambitious goal of winning the Premier League title by 2028. Chief executive Omar Berrarda stood by the commitment a year ago after Ruben Amorim's self-proclaimed "disaster season".

"We've just finished 15th and it seems an impossible task. But why not aim for it? Why not do everything in our power?" Berrada told fanzine United We Stand.

Michael Carrick was probably not the head coach INEOS had in mind when they set out Project 150, a plan which sought to propel the men's and women's teams to the top of English football in time for the 150th anniversary of the club being founded as Newton Heath.

However, by handing Carrick a two-year contract, which includes an option to extend until 2029, United's decision-makers have certainly given the impression they believe he will fulfil that target and lift the title for the first time since 2012/13.

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Few people have argued against the decision to give Carrick the job. Yet there is not a great deal of confidence that he can bring United back to the top. Six have tried and failed since Sir Alex Ferguson. Does Carrick stand a chance, and what does he need to address?

United spoke to other candidates before hiring Carrick but there was little doubt he would get the job after the results he has picked up. He clinched a third-placed finish with a game to spare and a return to the Champions League. What else were United to do?

Logistically, the World Cup may have aided Carrick's chances by narrowing the field and eliminating a few elite managers that could have made United rethink their plans. Someone like Germany's Julian Nagelsmann would not have been able to start work until mid-July.

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Carrick, meanwhile, has already been involved in talks about the summer and has the overwhelming support of the dressing room. He makes sense. That might not have been the case in a different year.

This was framed as a summer when world-class managers would be available, yet it has not worked out like that. Instead, United have hired the man Middlesbrough sacked last summer for missing out on Championship promotion.

There is, of course, much more to Carrick than that. He has a better win rate than any other United manager since Ferguson, albeit over a smaller sample size. But his lack of Premier League experience is important to factor in to this consideration.

Mikel Arteta is the first manager to win the Premier League who had never won major silverware before his appointment. You can spin that both ways for Carrick, whose journey from midfielder and club captain to the dugout bears some resemblance to Arteta's.

Describing Carrick as a 'stop-gap', or the coach before the coach, may prove foolish if he does one day replicate the remarkable success of Arteta, but it does seem to be a case of 'Mr Right Now' rather than 'Mr Right'.

After all, he has more than enough on his plate to ensure United qualify for the Champions League again, let alone begin challenging for the title.

Carrick's record at United is remarkable. When he was handed his two-year contract, United had been the best team in the Premier League after winning 12 of Carrick's 17 games. Amorim had won 15 league games over the entirety of his 18 months in charge.

The big challenge for Carrick will be replicating that form when United are balancing Champions League commitments because this season it has been a relatively easy ride.

Through no fault of his own, Carrick inherited a squad playing a 40-game campaign, the fewest in a single season at United since 1914/15, after being eliminated at the first time of asking in both cup competitions and failing to qualify for Europe.

So, while United outperformed Arsenal and Manchester City, they also enjoyed an average of eight days between games, which is more than double that of Arteta's side across all competitions. Arsenal (29) played 13 games more than United (16) over that time.

Everyone wants to be in the Champions League, but few can cope with the schedule. Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham massively underperformed as a result. Their plight should serve as a warning.

United will have a minimum of eight additional games on top of the 40 they played this season and hope to progress further in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup next time around. For what is currently such a thin squad, that poses a big headache for the head coach.

Almost every area of the squad is in need of reinforcements – but central midfield is the clear priority. It is a position United have never adequately addressed post-Ferguson. But it is tough to think of a time when United's midfield has required such urgent attention.

Casemiro is leaving, and Manuel Ugarte is likely to join him, with United hoping he can feature in a summer clear-out of up to eight first-team players. That leaves Kobbie Mainoo, 21, as the only recognised central midfielder in the first team.

Sky Sports News understands at least two midfielders will be signed this summer. Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba, Mateus Fernandes and Ederson are among their targets. It is hard to see how United cope with anything less than three given the scarcity of their options.