Carrick admits he has no assurances from Man Utd board ahead of crunch Chelsea fixture

Michael Carrick has admitted he has received no assurances from the Manchester United hierarchy about his future, speaking publicly for the first time since the club decided to retain him following a defeat to Bournemouth that had raised serious doubts about his position.

Carrick was widely expected to be dismissed after Sunday’s loss at the Vitality Stadium, but the 45-year-old took training on Tuesday as United’s leadership resolved to give him more time to reverse the team’s poor form. Asked directly whether the board had offered him any guarantees, Carrick was blunt: “I don’t need any assurances from anyone; I get the position and understand the responsibility and what comes with that.”

The United manager was speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s home fixture against Chelsea, a game that now carries significant weight given the pressure surrounding his tenure. “To be honest, disappointment from the game, from the result — it’s clear from the way the game went,” Carrick said. “Dealing with that was the main thing, looking at what we could have done better. Then getting back to training with the players and preparing for the next game against Chelsea.”

Carrick’s composed public stance belies the precarious nature of his situation. Having taken over on a temporary basis, he has yet to secure a sustained run of results that would strengthen his claim to the role on a longer-term footing. The Chelsea match now represents one of the more consequential games of his short managerial career at Old Trafford, with the outcome likely to shape the club’s thinking on his future in the coming days.