Carrick takes long-term view amid rise in sackings

Manchester United interim head coach Michael Carrick refuses to view the increasing turnover of managers in English football as a reason to change the way he does the job.

The average tenure of a manager in England is now less than two years.

Only 20 current bosses in the top four divisions have been in post longer than the two years and eight months he spent at previous club Middlesbrough.

Remarkably, 20 new bosses have been appointed since Carrick was brought back to Old Trafford exactly 100 days ago, on 13 January, including two at League Two strugglers Barrow.

Liam Rosenior was sacked by Chelsea on Wednesday, four days after Carrick's United won at Stamford Bridge. He was appointed eight days before the 44-year-old former England midfielder returned to Old Trafford.

Despite this, the United boss is adamant he will not adopt a short-term approach.

"There are two sides to it," said Carrick.

"There are instant results and the next game being important; but there's definitely a responsibility, our thinking of what the future looks like and the bigger picture.

"There are all sorts of what-ifs in this world. Half full, half empty? I like to live my life in a positive way.

"I don't think of what could go wrong, that doesn't come into it. It's what can be achieved. What success looks like."

Success for United this season would be qualifying for the Champions League after a two-year absence.

If they beat Brentford at Old Trafford on Monday, they will need a maximum of two points from their final four games to seal a top-five slot.

After that, the focus will be on United's hierarchy to decide whether to appoint Carrick on a full-time basis.

Most supporters feel the transformation since Ruben Amorim's dismissal means he should be given the job.

The man himself insists he is not demanding answers.

"In terms of deadline, it's not something I'm really chasing," he said. "It will become clear when it becomes clear."

Those who argue against giving Carrick the job permanently tend to cite the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as evidence.

That view overlooks the fact Solskjaer is the only United boss since Sir Alex Ferguson to deliver successive top-three finishes, had them top of the Premier League a couple of months before he was sacked and also reached a Europa League final in 2021, which was lost because goalkeeper David de Gea missed a penalty in a shootout defeat by Villarreal.

Carrick was part of the Norwegian's coaching team and the pair remain close, despite ending up competing to replace Amorim.

He dismisses comparisons with Solskjaer as irrelevant.

"I've got the utmost respect for him," said Carrick. "He's a close friend of mine and I worked closely with him when I was here. We did a lot of good things and came close.