Carrick: I want to be off my seat watching the team

Our former midfielder has been announced as the Reds’ head coach for the rest of the season and spoken for the first time since returning to United, on the club's Inside Carrington podcast.

It was during the recording with Liam Bradford and Helen Evans – which you can watch in full below – that Carrick gave an insight into his vision for the squad.

“You want to win games, it goes without saying, we want to win games,” Carrick begins on the podcast. “There’s different ways of doing it, of course, different scenarios, different situations in games that [mean] you might have to play a certain way. 

“But I think for me it's [about] working with the players. I love working with the players and helping them get better individually, which, hopefully, will help the team improve and [I want to] be there to support them. I'm one of them, we're all in it together, and I think it's important that we all look after each other. 

“But I know it comes down to results. Hopefully, we can play a really exciting type of football and be positive and express and bring excitement. I want to be off my seat. I want to be enjoying watching the boys play, and results obviously need to come with that.

“You can feel my kind of enthusiasm for it, because I'm buzzing to get started and see what we can do.”

Carrick is now looking forward to addressing the squad for the first time on Wednesday and getting down to work on the training pitch, with his newly assembled coaching team.

That's ahead of his opening game in charge on Saturday lunchtime, the small matter of a Premier League visit to Old Trafford from Manchester City.

“Nothing beats that [feeling of getting out on the grass],” Michael, who joined United's coaching staff after retiring in 2018 and took charge of three games as our caretaker manager before departing the club in 2021, adds on the podcast.

“Getting on the grass with the boys is where I want to be, working with them, and so I think that’s next step. Today's been good to settle in, to get to know kind of what the week's going to look like, planning ahead for the game. 

“Obviously, it's an important game, it goes without saying. Being a step ahead of that has given us a good chance. So, we're in a good place, and seeing the boys tomorrow and for some of the staff to meet them for the first time, as well as myself. It feels good, we're looking forward to it.”