Sunderland vs. Man United: Michael Carrick bidding to further strengthen his managerial case

Ahead of Saturday's Premier League match between Sunderland and Manchester United, hear what the Sports Mole team have to say about the upcoming battle.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "I'd be shocked if they went elsewhere"

Marvellous job he's done (Carrick). He's got more points in his 14 games than Amorim had in his 20 at the start of the season, which tells its own story.

It's night and day, the atmosphere, and I think what's really interesting is the amount of players, Cunha, Maguire, Fernandes, Amad, Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro, the list can go on, of players that are publicly coming out and basically saying that they should give him the job.

I think his relationship with the players is obviously really good, that doesn't necessarily translate to winning football matches but that is translating to winning football matches at this point.

So I'd be shocked if they went elsewhere. I think Iraola's obviously the one that's closest, the one they see as probably the closest competition to Carrick.

But with Luis Enrique likely to stay at PSG, if he was available, I think we're having a different conversation, talking about an elite manager, but they're just not around and I would be stunned if they went elsewhere at this stage. I don't see how they could.

I think the signings they make this summer, they're not going to be Carrick's signings. The club know what they need. They need two midfielders, centre-back, left-back, left-sided attacker, and that's a club policy. That's not Carrick buying his players for the team.

So if the worst was to happen and Carrick was to stay and then have a terrible first half of next season, potentially go, it wouldn't be a huge shift like it was with Amorim where he was signing players for a system.

So I don't see really any negatives to giving it to Carrick and he certainly deserves it in my view, but he is relatively unproven still at this level.

I think the main reservation would be the amount of fixtures. Next season obviously with Champions League and you expect them to go further in the EFL Cup and FA Cup and they're going to be playing three times a week.

Whereas this has been very simple. You recover from the Premier League games, you get your recovery. It's been very simple in terms of one game a week.

Injuries have been... they've had injuries here and there, suspensions, but the squad has been largely fit and available, certainly the key players.

So that would be the only thing I think that's levelled at Carrick with his obvious lack of experience, but can he manage a season where you're playing in four competitions, the pressure is on, you now have expectation.

Because when he came in from Amorim it was so bad that even a little bit of positivity around the club was going to be lapped up by the fans and the media.

So that would be my reservation, but then you just don't know until you give him the job, and like I say, my main thing is if Thomas Tuchel was available... I know Pochettino and individuals like that are going to become available but there's not for me an outstanding candidate, like a Luis Enrique.

If Luis Enrique announces that he's leaving PSG then you go and get him. Simple as that. An elite manager, one of the best three or four managers in the world.

So for me it would be a surprise to go away from Carrick but can I say with utmost confidence that we're not going to be here in 12 months saying maybe you shouldn't have given it to him? I can't say that, but for here and now I think you just have to give it to him.

Ben Knapton, Site Coordinator: "In the conversation for signing of the season"

The Wolves draw (for Sunderland), it was respectable given they went down to 10 men with another hair-pulling red card.

We seem to be seeing quite a few more of those, but the key thing is now Dan Ballard's out for the season. Of course, three-game ban, three games left, so that's a big miss for Sunderland.

Ex-Arsenal academy boy, of course, so yeah, how do they replace him? That's going to be difficult for them, but for me, from an Arsenal perspective as well, I'm looking at Granit Xhaka.

He loves a long range goal against Man United. He scored three in his career. I think there was that deflected one in 2017 that sort of ballooned over David De Gea, and then scored one in 2019 as well from distance that, again, blindsided De Gea, and then 2022 at the Emirates when Fernandes missed that penalty.

So he scored more goals against United than any other Premier League team, and I think he has to be in the conversation for signing of the season.

I was really sad when he left Arsenal after that brilliant 22/23 season. Went to Leverkusen, became an invincible. He's come back, he's taken a real grip on the Premier League, Granit Xhaka, and if he can lead Sunderland to European football, that is an incredible achievement.