Michael Carrick speaks out on Man United future amidst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer comparisons

Carrick looks set to guide United back to the UEFA Champions League -Credit:Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images

However, while the 44-year-old acknowledged that comparisons between himself and Solskjaer were not meant unkindly, he maintained they held little relevance following a run of eight victories and two draws from 12 matches at the helm.

"I don't think it's disrespectful," said Carrick. "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, I was quite attached to that and we did a lot of good things. We came close.

"In the end, it changed and went in a different direction. That's football. You can compare to all sorts of different situations in managers and coaches and teams over the years. It just depends on what you choose to compare.

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

Carrick remains the overwhelming frontrunner to secure the role on a permanent basis, yet he has received no indication of what lies ahead and maintains he has no knowledge of when the club's decision-makers might reach a conclusion.

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

"I'm here at the moment to help the team and the club get results. At the moment, we're doing alright. We can keep pushing and get better and that's generally all I'm focused on right now.

"I've said it many times, I enjoy being here, I enjoy the role I'm in. We've had some good results and we're in decent shape. There's a lot to go, we want to keep improving.

"There's layers that we want to get to. I'll see. I keep saying the same things in front of you every week, there's only so much I can say, but I enjoy being here, I love being here, it's a real privilege to be in the position I am, thriving with the responsibility that we've got."