‘It’s totally irrelevant’ – Michael Carrick on criticism from ex-United players

Michael Carrick has said he will not ‘pay too much attention’ to the opinions of former teammates and pundits as he begins his second spell as interim manager of Manchester United .

Carrick, who went undefeated in his three-game stint at the helm in 2021, admitted he is ‘eager to succeed’ after being given the opportunity again until the end of the season.

“Two different roles sat in this chair in front of you, different from coaching.

“It’s fantastic to be here and it’s great for me to be in this position. As well as that, I’m eager to succeed, it’s a big and important job.

“One side is nice to be there, the other side is focus and concentration to improve the team and results.”

A few former United players have chosen to publicly question Carrick’s appointment, but the ex-Middlesbrough midfielder insists he is blocking out outside noise.

“They’re not putting more pressure on me. I don’t feel that,” he said.

“There are plenty of opinions around, some positive, some not too much. It’s totally irrelevant in terms of what I focus on. I know what we want to improve on, how we want to work with the players.

“There’s a lot that can be said, it’s the way of the world. I’m not gonna pay too much attention to that. For me, the players and staff it’s a focus on how we’re going to succeed. That’s our job.”

Carrick’s first game in charge sees Manchester United host their neighbours Manchester City , who arrive on the back of an impressive 13-game unbeaten run across all competitions.

Asked if he had any specific season targets, Carrick responded: “Not in terms of it has to be this or that way.

“Like I said, we want to be near the top. But we have to take some small steps toward that and European football would a step toward that.”