The result saw United avoid defeat for the sixth game in a row, having won five times and drawn once following Carrick’s arrival in the dugout. Carragher believes they are now essentially guaranteed to qualify for next season’s Champions League as a result of their consistently strong recent form.

Speaking on Monday Night Football, he said: “I think Manchester United are virtually a guarantee in that position. Aston Villa look like they’re dropping points at the moment and they’ve still got European football on a Thursday night, so a lot of Thursday-Sundays.

“Liverpool and Chelsea are both still in the Champions League and they’ve got the FA Cup as well. They’ll want to do well in at least one of those competitions, at least to the semi-final and final. Yeah, I can’t see Manchester United not making it. Mind games! No, I do… I do believe that.”

If the Liverpool icon is right, it suggests that Carrick has a very strong case to manage United on a permanent basis heading into next season.

It was reported following his appointment that he was unlikely to secure the full-time job, with the Red Devils seeking a more established coach to lead them into the 2026/27 campaign.

However, the emphatic manner of Carrick’s reign so far has made the possibility of a longer stay hard to ignore. His decision to revert to a four-at-the-back system has been a major contributing factor after Ruben Amorim refused to deviate from his preferred back three.

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Those changes have proven popular behind the scenes, which has been reflected in United’s recent turnaround with everybody pulling in the same direction.

Speaking on Sky Sports before Monday’s game against Everton, Gary Neville urged the club to go for ‘the best class of manager available’ but didn’t rule out appointing Carrick should he achieve Champions League qualification.

He said: “Manchester United have to pursue another manager right now around the fact of you don’t know how the results are going to go.

“But little things like Thomas Tuchel re-signing with England does start to take away the options for Manchester United and they don’t harm Michael’s chances of getting the job.

“If he gets United into the Champions League there will be a lot of fever around that he should be appointed. I’m not against him being appointed, I love him to bits, but I think Manchester United should go for the best class of manager available.”