Michael Carrick says he’s not ‘chasing’ an answer over his Man United future as big decision looms

Carrick has insisted he is not looking for an answer over his long-term future at Man United (PA Wire)

When pressed on when he anticipates a decision on his future, Carrick maintained his relaxed approach.

"I’m not sure, to be honest. Genuinely it’s not something in terms of deadlines that I’m really chasing. I think it’ll become clear when it’s going to become clear. I’m here at the moment to help the team and help the club get results.

“At the moment we’re doing all right. We can keep pushing and getting better, so, really, that’s genuinely all I’m focused on right now."

Carrick, who pipped close friend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the job of replacing Amorim, has also addressed comparisons to the Norwegian, who had a three-year spell in charge of United between 2018 and 2021.

While some draw parallels when discussing United’s next permanent manager, Carrick dismisses such talk as irrelevant.

"I don’t think it’s disrespectful," he said. "I’ve got the utmost respect for him. He’s a close friend of mine and I worked closely with him when I was here, so I was quite attached to that, and I thought we did a lot of good things. We came close and, in the end, it changed and went in a different direction. That’s football."

He concluded: "But it’s irrelevant really. That’s not a negative or a positive, it just doesn’t really have any link at all. We’re a different team now, irrespective of me, who is in charge, it’s a different team and different time. I don’t really think comparisons make any difference."

In team news for the Brentford clash, Harry Maguire is set to return from a two-game ban. Leny Yoro will undergo assessment after missing the Chelsea victory, while fellow centre-back Lisandro Martinez is suspended.

Matthijs de Ligt remains sidelined with a back issue, and Patrick Dorgu is not yet ready for a comeback.