Michael Carrick has broken his silence on his managerial plans following on from links suggesting he could return to Manchester United.
Manchester United have had an underwhelming start to the season but secured an important win over Sunderland before the international break.
Ruben Amorim’s men currently sit 10th in the Premier League table and face Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.
Despite the manager receiving recent support from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who suggested that Amorim will be given three years at the club, results will dictate everything.
If there aren’t major improvements in terms of results, and United slip back into the bottom half of the table, action could be taken and Amorim may lose his job.
There have been several reports about who could replace the Portuguese boss, with Xavi Hernandez among those interested in the role.
It has also been claimed that Michael Carrick would be an option to come in as an interim manager for the rest of the season if Amorim was sacked in the coming months.
Carrick breaks silence on managerial plans after United links
Carrick, 44, is one of United’s best midfield players in recent years and he hung up his boots in 2018 before joining the backroom staff under Jose Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
The five-time Premier League winner was named as caretaker manager after Solskjær was sacked and then left shortly afterwards for his first managerial role at Middlesborough.
He has been out of work since being sacked at the Riverside Stadium in June and some reports suggested that he would be open to taking an interim role at Old Trafford if Amorim was relieved of his duties.
Carrick has since confirmed that he is enjoying his time away from the touchline and played down any rumours of an immediate return to management, although hinted that he would be interested in the right opportunity.
“I’m kind of chilled and calm about [returning to management],” Carrick told SCMP. “I think it’s very difficult to know when the next opportunity is coming.
“I might go back into football, there might be a job that’s right for me, there might not be for whatever reason. I’m enjoying time at home with the family at the moment, really enjoying it, actually.”
Amorim wants to repay United backing
For now, it does seem like Amorim has the full backing of the United board and they will be hoping that they will not need to make any decision about interims or replacements for the manager.
The two-week international break coming after a victory was important for Amorim, who seemed to have plenty of external pressure before that game.
But with games against Liverpool, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton as their next five fixtures, United must find a way to secure results otherwise that noise will come back.
With the players, board and the majority of fans still behind Amorim, he will be hoping that he can repay that trust with an improvement on the pitch.
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