Ruben Amorim's spell in charge of Manchester United may not have been a success, but he left valuable building blocks in place that have helped Michael Carrick succeed.

That is the view of United legend Ryan Giggs, who believes Carrick has shown enough as the Red Devils' interim boss to warrant a shot at the permanent job.

United parted company with Amorim on January 5, bringing an end to a largely miserable 14-month stint under the former Sporting CP boss.  

He oversaw their worst-ever Premier League season in 2024-25, as they finished 15th with a mere 42 points, as well as losing to Tottenham in the Europa League final.

Things improved in the first half of 2025-26 as United were sixth in the Premier League table, though Amorim hastened his own departure by questioning the club's hierarchy and demanding greater involvement in recruitment. 

Amorim left with a win rate of 32% in the Premier League (15/47), the lowest by any Red Devils manager, though many of the players he signed – including Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens – have put in decent displays for Carrick.

In an appearance on Rio Ferdinand Presents, Giggs said: "A sign of a good manager is the team that he leaves behind. 

"Ruben Amorim took a lot of stick for the way that he played. I didn't enjoy watching it but actually, I think some of his signings have been good and I think we're now seeing that now.

"Even though his legacy probably isn't great with results and performances, he's probably left the club, and the players that he got out, in a pretty good place."

Carrick has won nine of his 14 Premier League games in charge of United, across two stints.

His 64% win rate is the second-best of any manager in their Premier League history, only behind Alex Ferguson (65%, 528/810).

And Giggs spoke glowingly of the job his former team-mate has done, adding: "There's positivity from me because the hardest thing to do as a manager is win games and he's winning games.

"It's hard at this time of the season to really stamp your own philosophy, your own principles of play. I think every manager that goes into a role now is like an interim, because you don't get time.

"I think 20 to 30 years ago you were looking at the long-term. You're buying players, young players, who are maybe not right yet but in two or three years' time they'll be great for the club.

"You can't do that anymore. You've got to work short-term and long-term, and I think Michael will do that."

United's next game is at home to Brentford on April 27, when they will look to further cement their place in the top five as they near Champions League qualification.