MICHAEL CARRICK’S brother had a role to play in Steven Holland’s appointment as first-team coach at Manchester United.
Former England No2 Holland joined Carrick’s backroom staff along with Jonathan Woodgate last month.
Carrick also retained Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion, who had flanked Darren Fletcher during his two-game caretaker stint.
Holland, 55, spent nine years by Gareth Southgate’s side with the England Under 21s and senior side.
The boyhood United fan had no known links with Carrick but the United head coach’s brother, Graeme, knew Holland from his 15 years working with the Football Association.
When Carrick was closing in on an agreement to take over at United four weeks ago, he sounded out his brother over potential names to assist him.
TOUR-TURE
Michael Carrick breaks silence on Man Utd mid-season tour talks
CHAMPAGNE FOOTBALL
Man Utd files: Awkward moment newbies arrived as Amorim was sacked
Carrick revealed: “We ended up mentioning Steve. We knew him from the FA.
“And I have come across Steve a number of times, fully aware of his experience and his quality as a coach as well as a person.
“It ticked a lot of boxes and it kind of just went from there.
“I spoke to Steve and we clicked straight away, as the rest of the staff have, to be honest.
“With Jonathan, Trav, Craig (Mawson). I think there’s been a real good balance and a good connection between us.
“It feels like we’ve been together much longer than just these three weeks.
“He grew up being a massive United fan, that helps to start with.”
Carrick was added to the United coaching staff by Jose Mourinho after he retired from playing in 2018.
One of Mourinho’s first tasks upon his appointment as United manager in May 2016 was to instruct executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to offer Carrick a new one-year contract.
Mourinho’s predecessor, Louis van Gaal, had told Carrick he would be released that summer two weeks before he was sacked.
The sliding-doors moment extended Carrick’s stay at United by another five-and-a-half years as a player and then as a coach.
Holland was by Mourinho’s side when he returned to Chelsea in 2013.
Chelsea won the Premier League title and League Cup in 2015 with Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge and he was the fourth of six Chelsea managers Holland served under.
Carrick added: “Being at Chelsea and being successful, winning trophies, knowing what it takes, different style, different managers, different types of players.
“He’s had a real good knowledge and backstory to pick at. We speak a lot about different things, all of us, all the staff.
“Jose, I learned a lot from in the five months when I was coaching.
“When you see how he works, how he thinks and how he sees players, and things end up coming off that he predicted at certain times.
“So he had a really good eye for that. So there’s certainly that connection.
“I wouldn’t say it’s totally me and Steve with Jose, but it’s definitely a common kind of factors that help us work together for sure.”
Read the full article here