Michael Carrick has expressed his deep affection for managing Manchester United, yet insists he is not actively pursuing clarity regarding his future beyond the current season. His tenure, now spanning 100 days, began after Ruben Amorim’s acrimonious departure in January, with Carrick stepping in as manager for the remainder of the season.
Since taking the helm, Carrick has defied many expectations, guiding the Red Devils to significant victories against formidable opponents such as Manchester City, Arsenal, and most recently, Chelsea. These results have propelled United to third in the Premier League, placing them firmly within reach of Champions League qualification. Despite the natural speculation surrounding his long-term role, the 44-year-old remains focused on the immediate task.
“I’ve said it many times, I enjoy being here, I enjoy the role I’m in,” Carrick stated ahead of Monday’s home fixture against Brentford. “We’ve had some good results and we’re in decent shape. We still want to keep improving, there’s layers that we want to get to, really. I’ll see.” He reiterated his stance, adding, “again, I enjoy being here, I love being here. It’s a real privilege to be in the position I am but thriving with the responsibility that we’ve got.”
When pressed on when he anticipates a decision on his future, Carrick maintained his relaxed approach. “I’m not sure, to be honest. Genuinely it’s not something in terms of deadlines that I’m really chasing. I think it’ll become clear when it’s going to become clear. I’m here at the moment to help the team and help the club get results. At the moment we’re doing all right. We can keep pushing and getting better, so, really, that’s genuinely all I’m focused on right now.”
Carrick, who pipped close friend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the job of replacing Amorim, has also addressed comparisons to the Norwegian, who had a three-year spell in charge of United between 2018 and 2021. While some draw parallels when discussing United’s next permanent manager, Carrick dismisses such talk as irrelevant. “I don’t think it’s disrespectful,” he said. “I’ve got the utmost respect for him. He’s a close friend of mine and I worked closely with him when I was here, so I was quite attached to that, and I thought we did a lot of good things. We came close and, in the end, it changed and went in a different direction. That’s football.” He concluded: “But it’s irrelevant really. That’s not a negative or a positive, it just doesn’t really have any link at all. We’re a different team now, irrespective of me, who is in charge, it’s a different team and different time. I don’t really think comparisons make any difference.”
In team news for the Brentford clash, Harry Maguire is set to return from a two-game ban. Leny Yoro will undergo assessment after missing the Chelsea victory, while fellow centre-back Lisandro Martinez is suspended. Matthijs de Ligt remains sidelined with a back issue, and Patrick Dorgu is not yet ready for a comeback.
