‘I never imagined it would happen’: Michael Carrick on taking charge of Man United at Old Trafford

After managing Manchester United in the last two matches, Carrick will take charge of the club at Old Trafford against Arsenal.

File photo of Manchester United players in a training session; Credit: Twitter/@ManUtd
By Karthik Raman | Dec 2, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Caretaker manager Michael Carrick has described the chance to lead Manchester United out at a packed Old Trafford as a “huge privilege.” After managing United in the last two matches, Carrick will take charge of the club at Old Trafford against Arsenal. The former midfielder is still in caretaker charge of the side as the club awaits the official arrival of recently appointed interim manager Ralf Rangnick. He will be keen to build on the positive performances against Villarreal and Chelsea when they face Mikel Arteta’s side. With Carrick at the helm, United won a crucial away match against Villarreal in the Champions League last midweek before getting a valuable point at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea in the Premier League. 

‘I’m not getting carried away’

Speaking to the club media at Carrington, Carrick was asked what will it mean for him to take charge of Manchester United at Old Trafford. “Yeah, it’s obviously a huge privilege and one I never imagined would actually happen at any stage. So to be in that position is a huge sense of pride and responsibility, of course. You know, I’m a fan and my family are just supporters of Manchester United anyway, so to be in that seat will be a good feeling. I still keep going back to I can’t hide the fact I am here because of the situation with Ole so I’m not getting carried away with at all. I’ll try to make the most of it tomorrow night but actually it’s about the players, the team and getting the right result,” he explained.

United playing Arsenal is one of the sought-after fixtures in the Premier League era. Speaking about the importance of the clash, Carrick said, “There have been some classics over the years. I’ve been involved in some and watched from afar before I even got here. So, yeah, there’s always been a special feeling around this game and an edge around the fixture. The boys are looking forward to it, we’re looking forward to it, these are the big games you want to be involved in, and obviously we’re trying to come out on top.”

Carrick on Arteta 

In his playing days, Carrick has often come up against Mikel Arteta during their midfield battles. Getting into details about the manager who will be sitting in the opposite dugout on Thursday night, Carrick said, “He was a terrific player, very technical, and that’s the way his teams plays and obviously the way he has coached them in that style shows what type of player he was. I think he’s done a very good job at Arsenal and you can see they’re going in a certain direction and been pretty strong with that. So credit to him for that and it’ll be interesting to see how they get on for the rest of the season.”

Carrick then gave an update on the latest team news. He added: “Nothing really new. There are always niggles at this time of year, playing a lot of games. There are always players you’re waiting on a little bit, to an extent. Obviously Harry [Maguire] is coming back into the squad after his suspension but we’ll see who is fit and available for tomorrow [Thursday].”





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