Michael Carrick, Sir Alex Ferguson and Man United's seemingly impossible question

Carrick insists success is possible at United despite the club's struggles under his management and the shadow of Ferguson's legacy.

Michael Carrick faces an uncertain future as Manchester United manager, with Sunday's match against Aston Villa potentially his last in charge. The club is marking the 40th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson's appointment on Friday, a stark reminder of the managerial legacy Carrick must follow.

United sit 17th in the Premier League, in their 14th consecutive season without a title challenge, and have won just once in their last 10 matches across all competitions. Carrick, appointed in January after an initial impressive impact, has overseen regression this season and could become the seventh manager sacked since Ferguson retired in 2013.

When asked about the difficulty of following Ferguson, Carrick rejected the notion it was impossible. "Anything's possible," he said. "You've got to build, you've got to be realistic. Success does take time." However, the article notes the inconvenient reality: Carrick's immediate early success has given way to poor results, and he is now only three months into his first full season. The broader context is that United have struggled to find sustained success under any manager since Ferguson, with only Busby and Ferguson representing truly great managerial tenures in the club's history.