Gary Neville says Manchester United will not be "bounced" into making a decision to give Michael Carrick the manager's job after a run of great results.
Carrick masterminded a fourth-straight United victory as his side secured a 2-0 Premier League triumph over 10-man Tottenham on Saturday.
The win moved United to within three points of third-placed Aston Villa in the race for Champions League qualification.
It also took Carrick's overall record as boss at Old Trafford to six wins in seven matches, including a three-game spell in 2021, but as the clamour builds in favour of giving him the job beyond the end of the season, Neville warned United will not be rushed into a decision.
'Man Utd have started the process of looking for a new manager'
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Manchester United: Could Man Utd's run of form guarantee Michael Carrick's place full-time?
The Sunday Supplement panel discuss whether Manchester United's recent run of form cements Carrick's place as long-term head coach
He told The Gary Neville Podcast: "I made my position clear a few weeks ago and what I'm not going to do is repeat it every week, but what I did, I actually spoke to the club, because ultimately the club get asked all the time from journalists and broadcasters, what's the position of the club.
"It's a very difficult situation, you've got a massive movement now with what's happened towards giving Carrick the job, saying that really he should be considered.That's only going to build the more that he wins and the more that he gets closer to Champions League football.
"I asked the club what is the official position of the football club in terms of what you're saying publicly to everybody else. I have to say I thought their answer was pretty good. They said they've actually begun the process now, starting to look for another manager, which I thought right.
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MICHAEL CARRICK
Carrick says Manchester United cannot make a 'knee-jerk' decision about their long-term future on the back of him winning his first three matches as head coach
"That's good to hear because you need to plan for everything. They've started the process of speaking to and looking at other managers, building all the sorts of data and analysing who should be the next manager of the football club. But what they've said is they're not going to be bounced into - irrespective of wins or draws or losses on the pitch in this next couple of months - making an appointment. They're going to wait until towards the end of the season.
"If Michael then at that point makes himself available for the job, and I did actually say a couple of weeks ago, I wondered whether Michael actually would say no. He is that type of guy Michael, he's someone who would always work in the best interest of the football club. He may do that, or he might say no, I feel comfortable enough and I've built such a good relationship with the players, his coaching staff to put his name in the hat.
"At that point Michael Carrick, like in any other recruitment role in the country for any other business, would go into what would be a process versus the likes of Thomas Tuchel and all the others that are going to become available in the summer. I think that's fair."
'United have massive chance of qualifying for Champions League'
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Man Utd and Tottenham Hotspur.
Highlights from the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur
The arrival of Carrick has certainly lifted the mood at Old Trafford after United were winless in four and with only one victory in seven matches in all competitions before their former midfielder was hired following Ruben Amorim's exit at the start of January.
And Neville was full of praise for the job his former team-mate has done in turning around Man Utd's fortunes, saying the position they are in now was unthinkable a few weeks ago.
"I can't believe where Manchester United are," Neville said.
"I watched them six out of those seven games before Ruben Amorim was sacked, and after that against Burnley when Darren Fletcher took over, it was terrible. It was really was shocking, and what Michael Carrick has done, he's rebuilt trust instantly and faith. The players, straightaway, are listening. They're trusting in what the message is and it's a complete about turn.
"He's done more than that, though, the results are excellent, the performances are fantastic and I like what I see. He's rebuilt faith in the system of play in the 4-4-1-1, and the way in which United should always play.
Benjamin Sesko celebrates his injury-time winner with team-mates
Image: United are just three points behind third-placed Aston Villa in the race for Champions League qualification
"Everything at the moment for United is looking really, really good.
"They do look like they really have got an incredible chance [of qualifying for the Champions League], because of the fact they haven't got the confusion, and the chaotic fixture list that some of the others have.
"You would think that they've got a massive chance now, with the way in which Carrick has set about the job of getting into the Champions League. It was unthinkable only four or five weeks ago, unthinkable.
"If they win another four or five games then they're almost emphatically in the Champions League, and that would be incredible.
"It'd be a great position to be in by the way [for appointing a new manager], if you think about where probably Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox thought they were going to be maybe a few weeks ago."