Michael Carrick has admitted that clarity on who will be Manchester United's permanent manager is important, but the decision is out of his hands. The interim head coach secured Champions League qualification last weekend but has not yet been informed whether he will be offered the role on a permanent basis.
United travel to Sunderland on Saturday sitting third in the Premier League, with only two matches remaining after that. Carrick is widely expected to be given the job beyond this season, but he has received no confirmation. 'Clarity is important,' Carrick said. 'We've finished strong, put ourselves in a good position and the situation of my role and what it looks like moving forward, I think it's just the natural time.'
Since taking over, Carrick has overseen an impressive run, collecting more points than any other Premier League team, winning 10 of his 14 matches. 'At this stage it's just putting the boys in a place to finish the season strongly and then, as I've said all along, I'm calm about it,' he added. 'It'll get sorted out when it's going to get sorted out. It's out of my hands, so we'll see what happens.'
Carrick will attend the FA Youth Cup final next Thursday, where United face Manchester City at the Joie Stadium. City opted to use the 7,000-capacity ground rather than the Etihad, turning down United's offer to host at Old Trafford. Carrick, who won the competition with West Ham in 1999, expressed disappointment. 'Getting to the Youth Cup final always seems to have been a thing where you play at the main stadium and it's such a showcase event for players of that age group. So we're disappointed.'
Meanwhile, United confirmed that Sir Dave Brailsford has left the board. A long-time ally of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Brailsford joined as a director when the Ineos owner invested in the club and played a significant role behind the scenes, but had scaled back his work last summer.
