Carrick Dismisses 'Ridiculous' Speculation Over Manchester United Future

Michael Carrick has pushed back against what he described as "ridiculous" speculation surrounding his position as manager of Manchester United, asserting that the Old Trafford role remains the correct one for him.

Speaking at Carrington on Friday, Carrick addressed the team's challenging start to the season, which has included consecutive home defeats against Manchester City and Brighton. While accepting blame for the recent run of results, he cautioned against viewing the situation as a catastrophe, emphasizing that losing half of their six matches does not signify an insurmountable crisis.

Carrick dismissed concerns about external pressure influencing club owners and affecting his tenure. "That's irrelevant for me," he stated. "I know the club, I know the role. I understand where we need to be as a football club for the owners, and what they expect. For the supporters, as much as anything, and what they expect. I get all that.

"But in terms of future and ownership and how long I've got in the job, that's just totally not in my thinking. Not one part of it. Like, how long have I got. It's just ridiculous to think that way in the position that I'm in. That's just not on the radar.

"We're living in a world of instant reaction, instant judgement, which is fine. It's how it is. But it's not in my world."

When asked if the club still feels like a great institution during times of difficulty, Carrick responded with a definitive "Yes, 100 percent." He expressed his genuine desire to be at the club, stating, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, genuinely. It's the best place for me to be.

He urged perspective, noting, "You've got to put things in a little bit (of perspective). It's not a catastrophe or a disaster. It's not the end of the world. We're not in a place where we've gone on an awful long run of horrific results, you know?

"We've lost a couple of games recently and we feel like we've been in all the games that we've played, so it's not like we're having a real struggle all the time.

Carrick acknowledged the emotional impact of defeats but highlighted the responsibilities that come with managing Manchester United. "It's my responsibility, and I'm fine with that. It's not a blame game. We all search for things to look at and point somebody, or whatever reason it may be, and find a blame.

"Blame me, no problem. I'll take the responsibility, whatever it is. But, for us, it’s not about blaming people. It's about finding solutions and being better.

"It's two or three games that we haven't had certain results – and two or three games too many because I really hate losing. But that doesn't mean the world caves in."

Carrick also responded sharply when questioned about displaying more emotion. "I need to show more emotion?" he asked. "In what way? How? What do you want me to show?"

Following a Carabao Cup defeat where the team conceded a two-goal lead, resulting in boos from the home crowd, Carrick admitted he had anticipated periods of struggle. "It doesn't affect of how I think about what we need to do next," he said. "It doesn't knock us or put us off track or think about things we don't control.

"I think we're always learning. When you're trying to build towards something, it's not always going to go to plan. History tells you that any team that's been successful goes through periods when you’ve got to work through it.

"I was expecting at point at some stage that we'd go through it. It was going to come. We had such a good spell last season and going into this season, there was going to be a time when you don't get everything out of it what you wanted.

"Winning games is always the answer. It's the answer to a lot of things. It can cover up a lot of things as well sometimes, by winning games and people don't see the whole picture, so it works both ways."