Bruno Fernandes heaped praise on Michael Carrick after Manchester United beat Tottenham 2-0 on Saturday to make it four wins in a row.
Bruno Fernandes and Michael Carrick
Bruno Fernandes has backed Michael Carrick to have a good career as a manager
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Michael Carrick is keeping his feet firmly pinned to the floor despite hearing Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes label him a "great manager" after making it four wins in a row against Tottenham.
It's more than three years since United last won five Premier League games in a row, but that is the prize on offer at the London Stadium tomorrow, when they face a West Ham side in good form themselves as they battle against relegation.
Carrick has engineered an impressive turnaround at Old Trafford and United are now firmly in the box seat in the race for Champions League football next season. The 44-year-old's impressive start since being appointed head coach until the end of the season is also putting him in contention to get the job on a long-term basis.
Fernandes gave the impression he would be happy to see Carrick stay on after the win against Spurs. It extended the former midfielder's record in the job to six wins and a draw from seven games, having stood in as caretaker for three matches in November 2021 after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked.
During that run, Fernandes told Carrick that he thought he would make a great manager. Now back at Old Trafford, he is proving that prophecy right. United are conducting what they describe as a "thorough process" to appoint their next head coach and although Carrick is refusing to get carried away, he is putting himself in the frame.
Asked about Fernandes' comments ahead of the trip to West Ham, he insisted there was more to achieve this season before any thoughts turn to staying on.
"I've known Bruno for quite some time and I know him pretty well, and seen him the odd time in the time that I've left the club, so I've got a really good relationship with him," he said.
"He's a really intelligent footballer, he's bright, he cares a lot for this club, so in terms of that side of it, we all want the same thing. It's obviously nice when players that you respect, as I do with Bruno a lot, say good things about you, but ultimately it's about the team, getting the best out of the team, and actually that's all working together.
"So time will tell. It's not about judging how good or successful at this moment in time, because nothing's really happened yet. We've hopefully got a lot more to do between now and the end of the season, and see what happens after that."
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Carrick is repeating his mantra of not getting carried away by the start he is enjoying at Old Trafford. He engineered a similar upturn in form when he was appointed Middlesbrough boss in October 2022, winning 16 of his first 23 games, but his side fell short in the play-offs.
Despite his cool persona, Carrick is trying to enjoy the highs of winning and ride the emotion that comes with those successes, but he knows there is more to do if United are to return to the Champions League next season.
"It's a really easy thing to say, and listen, part of it, you've got to enjoy the buzz of winning. That's what we're in it for," he said.
"You've got to manage the highs of it and you've got to enjoy initially the feeling of winning a game. You can't just be flat-lined the whole time, but certainly going into the next game, you've got to then regroup and prepare again for what's next.
"You definitely take the confidence and the feeling from the games that you've had knowing you can go into the next game with a little bit more feel-good factor about it, but I guess the big challenge is knowing what's got you there and all the hard work and the preparation and then what it takes to win a game of football at this level is tough, so never assuming the next one's just going to be alright.
"But you've still got to allow yourself to feel the little bits and waves of emotion with it. It’s all a little bit boring and pointless if you didn't really to be honest, winning games is what we're all striving for."