Carrick Addresses Media Criticism Ahead of First Match as United Boss

Michael Carrick’s former teammates, including Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, and Paul Scholes, now hold influential roles in the media. Meanwhile, Roy Keane, who never played alongside Carrick but was effectively replaced by him upon his arrival at the club in 2006, offered some harsh comments about Carrick’s wife and coaching staff during an appearance on the Stick to Football podcast.

Keane had previously criticized Carrick back in 2014, which elicited a strong response from Carrick’s wife, Lisa. It appears that Keane has not forgiven and forgotten, as he remarked, “Well, his wife can always come in because she’s got a bit of a big mouth sometimes,” later adding, “She’s probably doing the team talk.”

On the other hand, Neville suggested that Carrick should not be appointed as the permanent head coach, advocating instead for Mauricio Pochettino or Thomas Tuchel to take the reins at the start of the next season.

In his first press conference since being named interim coach until the end of the season, Carrick addressed Keane’s comments, stating, “Honestly, it didn’t bother me.” He further elaborated on managing external opinions about his coaching, saying, “They’re not putting more pressure on me, I don’t feel that. I think it’s just part of it. I understand the role; there are plenty of opinions around, some positive and some not so much.”

Carrick emphasized the importance of focusing on the team’s goals, saying, “It’s totally irrelevant in terms of me and how I go to work and what I focus on. I know already what we want to improve on and how we want to work with the players. It is the way of the world, and I’m not going to pay too much attention to most of that. For me, the players, and the staff, it’s about focusing on how we’re going to succeed. That’s our responsibility, and that’s where our attention should be—doing what we can for this club.”

In a recent meeting with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and majority owners Joel and Avram Glazer at United’s Carrington training ground, Carrick expressed his enthusiasm about collaborating closely with director of football Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada. Wilcox played a pivotal role in the appointment of a caretaker coach after a significant fallout with Amorim, which led to the latter’s dismissal.

Carrick remarked, “I’ve spoken to Jason extensively and have been working closely with him and Omar over the past few days. It was nice to meet the ownership group and discuss our objectives. We aim to be at the top of the league; that’s obvious, but it requires taking small steps toward that goal. Securing European football is a crucial step forward, and we need to keep pushing.”

As Carrick prepares for his first match as Manchester United’s boss, he may face critiques from Neville and Keane, who will be working for Sky Sports during the game against Manchester City. Despite this, Carrick radiates excitement about his new role, stating, “It’s fantastic to be here; it’s a great feeling for me to be in this position. I’ve played various roles for this club and have learned to love it deeply. I am fully aware of the significance of this position. I am eager to succeed; we have a substantial job ahead of us, which always involves winning games and performing well in a specific manner.”