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Jamie Carragher has insisted that Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick does not possess “an X-factor of stardust” needed to bring lasting success to Old Trafford.

The Red Devils had been finding it tough under Ruben Amorim before Carrick revived them in the second half of last season and transformed their campaign.

Carrick stepped in as interim head coach and guided Manchester United to a third-place finish, securing qualification for this season’s Champions League.

That run earned Carrick the role on a permanent basis, though the former Middlesbrough manager has made an uneven start to the new campaign at Old Trafford.

Manchester United have won one, drawn one and lost one of their opening three Premier League games, while they also beat Sabah 4-0 in their first Champions League fixture on Thursday night.

Carragher wrote in his Daily Telegraph column earlier this week that Carrick is merely an “interim solution” while Manchester United wait to appoint a “super coach”.

Now the Liverpool great has reinforced that blunt assessment, telling talkSPORT this week that he does not believe Carrick is the man to deliver long-term success at Manchester United.

Carragher said on talkSPORT: “I don’t think Manchester United will win a league title or a Champions League with Michael Carrick.

“I’ve said that openly, but I think it’s right that he’s got the job right now. His results are fantastic.

“And I just think Manchester United right now, on the back of last night, back in the Champions League, Manchester United need to become a regular team in the Champions League again.”

Carragher continued: “The way management is now, we see a lot of managers and we put them in boxes – they’ve almost got a style of football, or we look back at what they’ve done at the previous clubs.

“And more often than not, what they’ve done at previous clubs has got them the big job. You can see that with most of the clubs this season.

“But Michael Carrick’s journey was different and how he got the job was different.

“I just think people on the outside of Manchester United, whether it’s journalists or fans of other clubs, probably don’t buy into the fact that he is the guy or the man to get Manchester United.”

Carragher added: “I think what Michael Carrick has done, and to his credit, is he’s had great results, and he’s stopped Manchester United almost being a bit of a circus that they have been for the last few years.

“He’s calmed everything down. And will he be the guy who takes them to that next step? Really, I don’t quite see that.

“But that’s not a criticism. I think he’s done fantastic since he’s come in. And I think if Manchester United get Champions League football again this season, that would be a really good season.”

The Liverpool legend went on: “You can see by the way, he gets questioned after games – that journalist trying to put him on the back foot on the back of one defeat at Hull saying there wasn’t enough passion. I’ve seen someone pushing him after the Ipswich game.

“That wouldn’t happen, I don’t think, to someone who had a big CV or had come with a big reputation or doing trophies at another club.

“He’s got the job on the back of being an ex-Manchester United player, and he’s done brilliantly.

“But when you think of guys who win the Champions League or win the Premier League, they’ve probably done more in their managerial careers before.”

Carragher feels the Manchester United head coach is missing “an X-factor of stardust” that other elite coaches possess, and pointed to some recent press conferences while making that argument.

He added: “What he’s done so far as a manager is title-winning form.

“But I think the managers who win the biggest trophies, they’ve got an X-factor of stardust – Michael Carrick’s still got to prove that he’s got that.

“He’ll still be seen by people on the outside as the guy who, before Manchester United, got sacked at Middlesbrough.

“That’s just the nature of the game.”