Michael Owen can’t get his head around Gary Neville’s view on Manchester United appointing Michael Carrick as their permanent manager and Jaap Stam has picked his preferred option to take over at the end of the season.

Carrick is off to a brilliant start as United boss, winning all of his first three games including the impressive scalps of Manchester City and Arsenal, but Neville has insistedhe “shouldn’t be given the job permanently even if he wins every single game”.

READ MORE: Are Man Utd being fooled by Elliot Anderson’s energy over excellence?

Owen has rubbished that assertion, and doesn’t understand why the INEOS bosses would look elsewhere if Carrick’s side continue to be winning and playing well.

He said: “I’ve heard to some people say ‘it’d be a mistake to, even if he wins every game between now and the end of the season, it’d be a mistake to give him it,’ I mean what?!

“I mean, have they not seen what’s happened for the last, whatever it is, 10, 11, 12 years? Hasn’t nobody seen that? Then they compare it to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who had a good start but then sort of faded slightly.

“This is a totally different person. If Manchester United are absolutely flying and winning all their games, why on earth, why on earth would you? You’ve got somebody that’s there, willing, ready, able, he’s done all the things that everybody has been asking, the team are playing with a smile on their face, they’re playing brilliantly well, he is an absolute gentleman of a guy, great guy.

“Listen, I’m not saying go and give it in tomorrow, because obviously it’s only three games, but if Manchester United qualify for the Champions League, and to do that they’ll have to play really well between now and the end of the season.

“I just don’t get why you just wouldn’t say, ‘with the rubbish, we’ve been off for the last decade, let’s continue with a little bit of this please. Champions League football, and we’re progressing and the team’s looking better and better.'”

‘Let’s keep this going. Why would you throw all that away and go and find the next young Portuguese great guy that you’ve done two minutes ago and what are you wanting here?

“So no, I think if he continues to do well, I would absolutely be giving him a job from the end of the season. Obviously that’s a big if, we’ll see what happens in the meantime.”

READ MORE: Is Man Utd ‘no d**kheads’ policy finally reaping rewards?

Meanwhile, former United centre-back Jaap Stam believes the Red Devils should look to hire Roberto De Zerbi, despite the Italian reportedly coming very close to being sacked by Marseille last week.

“I like De Zerbi very much, you know, because of how he performed at Brighton and also now in Marseille,” Stam said.

“How he’s playing with his teams, because he plays possession-based football, he’s very good on the ball. He also sets the players in certain positions that it makes it really difficult for the opposition to press them.

“You know, he’s going forward, he attacks. Scores a lot of goals, sometimes concedes, but you know that as a manager.

“But I think he’s also a good man-manager. I think he’s also good with the players and giving them the confidence, giving them the attention they need – and not only the starting XI, but also the other players within the squad.

“And that’s what you need in a big club like that. So I would be very happy if they don’t go for Carrick, and that they go for him.”