A former Premier League player has shared what he was told about Manchester United boss Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick and Jonathan Woodgate
A former Premier League star has shared what he was told about working with Michael Carrick(Image: George Wood, Getty Images)
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A former Premier League player has shared what Manchester United coach Jonathan Woodgate told him about Michael Carrick months before his appointment at Old Trafford. The 44-year-old was installed as interim boss in January and has experienced immediate success in the hot seat.
After Ruben Amorim's departure and Darren Fletcher's two-match caretaker period, Carrick faced what appeared to be a challenging set of opening fixtures. Statement victories over Manchester City and Arsenal followed as the club secured six victories in his opening seven matches in charge.
United have subsequently encountered the first stumbling block of Carrick's tenure, falling 2-1 to 10-man Newcastle on Wednesday. The club's earlier exit from the FA Cup affords Carrick extra time to identify solutions before a vital match against Aston Villa next weekend, having lifted his side to third in the table.
The former Middlesbrough manager was not broadly expected to improve United's prospects instantly. However, his encouraging start comes as little shock to ex-Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, who spoke to a member of Carrick's backroom team in November.
"I think he's done an unbelievable job and, you know what, it's no surprise either," Warnock said on In the Mixer, brought to you by Sky Bet. "I think he's so relaxed, so calm.
"I did a game with Jonathan Woodgate. We did the Liverpool-Real Madrid game co-commentary together.
"I was speaking to him as they'd just left Middlesbrough and said, 'What's [Carrick] like?' And he said, 'Brilliant.'
"Obviously, he's gone in there and he's really close with him but [Woodgate] said the level of detail, everything he does. And you think, 'If you're doing that at United, they'll buy into it straight away.' That's what they needed as well."
Stephen Warnock speaks on In the Mixer
Stephen Warnock recalled his conversation with Jonathan Woodgate about Michael Carrick(Image: In the Mixer)
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In January, Woodgate was appointed United's interim first team coach. It marks the second occasion he has been part of Carrick's backroom team, having collaborated for nearly three years at Middlesbrough before departing the club last summer.
The former Leeds and Newcastle defender is one element of a fresh coaching structure at United, which also features assistant Steve Holland and club legend Jonny Evans. Carrick's staff will seek to help the 13-time Premier League champions return to winning ways against Villa.
Addressing his side's extended break after the Newcastle defeat, Carrick said: "We've got to make the best out of it, we've got to make it a help.
"There's no sense in not learning lessons and understanding why tonight was what it was and how it happened and developed. We've got to learn from that, so we look at it and we'll learn from that.
"It's an important game, it's a big week for us, it's one we look forward to. We're in a position now that we've put ourselves in, the boys have put themselves in, that can be really exciting. So we've got to be really positive going into the next game and look forward to it, because there's a lot to play for."