Michael Carrick says his focus remains on helping Manchester United finish the season strongly despite uncertainty surrounding his future at Old Trafford.
The former United midfielder returned to the club as interim manager in January after the departure of Ruben Amorim and has since overseen a major turnaround in results. United sealed qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League after a dramatic 3-2 win over Liverpool FC last weekend.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash against Sunderland AFC, Carrick admitted clarity over his future would be important but insisted discussions were expected at the end of the campaign.
“Clarity is important,” Carrick said. “I think moving forward, it’s come at the right time, right at the end of the season, where I think we’ve finished strong, put ourselves in a good position.
“And obviously the situation of my role and what it looks like moving forward, I think it’s just the natural time. It was always spoken about towards the end of the season, if not the end of the season, so nothing has really changed, to be honest.”
Carrick also stressed that his immediate concern remains securing a strong finish rather than speculating about his long-term role at the club.
“It’s a matter of days ago and we’ve got eyes on finishing the season strongly as well,” he said.
“I understand the question, I understand the timing of it, but from my point of view right at this stage it’s just putting the boys in a place to finish the season strongly.
“Then, as I’ve said all along, and I’m calm about it, it’ll get sorted out when it’s going to get sorted out. Some of it’s out of my hands, so we’ll see what happens.”
Several United players have publicly backed Carrick to remain manager permanently, with midfielder Kobbie Mainoo among those praising the interim boss after the Liverpool victory.
Carrick added that he has approached the job with a long-term mindset despite initially arriving on a temporary basis.
“I’ve said from the start I’ve never approached a day here in terms of any short-term decisions,” he said. “From myself and the staff we’ve made decisions for the longer-term for the group and individually, players, how we treat them and try to help develop them.
“Maybe we’ll get to see, I don’t know. But certainly, from my point of view, I’ve gone about it in a way that I feel is the right way to do it.”
