Michael Carrick says Manchester United cannot make a “knee-jerk” decision about their long-term future after winning his first three games as manager.
The Red Devils have signed the former midfielder, captain and coach until the end of the season after Ruben Amorim’s patchy 14-month reign ended disastrously in early January.
Carrick has revitalized United since taking charge three weeks ago, with wins over Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham to lift them to fourth place in the Premier League.
The next match is between Old Trafford and former club Tottenham on Saturday. The 44-year-old said he wouldn’t be thrilled if they won again. And he doesn’t believe the club will.
“To be honest, nothing has changed,” said Carrick, who was nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award in January.
“It’s not going to change what I do or how I feel about it. I think I’m fully aware of my role and responsibility here.
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Michael Carrick discusses players’ reactions to the uncertainty of Manchester United’s management scenario.
“We want to be successful. I want the club to be successful even after the season is over. If it’s me, if it’s someone else at this stage, I can’t control that and we’ll see what happens.
“But it’s definitely about trying to improve the team and trying to keep Manchester United stronger and always improving, but nothing has changed, results over a short period of time don’t change that.
“If they’ve changed it, there’s something wrong. Is that really a good thing, or are there some problems we need to work out? I can’t be too blunt either way. It’s steady progress, really.
“You know football can change quickly, so we have to keep it at a certain level and stay focused on what we have to do.”
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Sky Sports News’ fan club takes a look at the starts of Michael Carrick and Liam Rosenior for Manchester United and Chelsea respectively. Who got higher marks on the report card?
Carrick was chosen to take charge for the remainder of the season after United held talks with former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils decided to bring in a coach with an understanding of the club to ensure a smooth transition into a short-term role, giving director of football Jason Wilcox time to go through a thorough recruitment process.
Telling Carrick that he would be willing to engage in that conversation if his success continues, the director said: “I love what I’m doing. I’m here.
“I feel at home here, but I’m not too nervous because I understand the situation.”
Carrick’s only focus at the moment is United’s upcoming match, which sees them face Tottenham on Saturday followed by a trip to his former club West Ham on Tuesday.
Briefly explain what Carrick needs to do to retain his job as Manchester United manager
Paul Merson on Sky Sports Premier League Friday:
“What he needs – which probably won’t help him – is to win five or six on the trot and then lose three or four on the trot. So how do you respond?
“People will say he should never be Manchester United manager, but how do you deal with losing three or four games and being investigated by the biggest club in the world?
“We’ve seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer get in the driver’s seat and drive, but you can see pictures of him away at Watford, lost as they were destroyed.
“Carrick would probably lose three or four on the trot and then win five on the trot and everyone would play. That’s a good manager. He changed direction when the pressure was on. That’s the only way to know how good he is.”
