Carrick reveals regular contact with Ferguson and Solskjaer amid Man Utd pressure

Michael Carrick has confirmed he is in regular contact with both Sir Alex Ferguson and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he attempts to turn around a difficult start to his tenure as Manchester United head coach, with the 45-year-old having won just two of his first 11 matches of the season.

Carrick, who was signed by Ferguson in 2006 and later served as Solskjaer’s assistant at Old Trafford, says the lines of communication with both men remain open. “I speak to both of them quite regularly, to be honest,” he said. “There’s nothing in particular from that. I’m close to both of them and we do have regular conversations. It’s nothing different this week.”

The United head coach beat Solskjaer to the job when the club initially sought an interim appointment in January, yet the pair have maintained a close relationship. Ferguson, whose name Carrick invoked during an emotional address to the media on Friday, remains a presence in the background.

Asked why he had spoken at length before his weekly press conference, Carrick was direct about the weight of expectation at the club. “I understand the situation, and I understand my position and I know what this football club means to so, so many people,” he said. “The history doesn’t give you the right to keep winning. Teams that win earn the right to win. So it’s important that we draw inspiration from history and the past of what’s gone on. But our responsibility is to carry that forward.”

Solskjaer is one of several managers — including Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, Erik ten Hag, and Rubén Amorim — who have been unable to restore sustained success to United since Ferguson’s retirement. His own dismissal came in late 2021 after a similarly turbulent run of results.

Carrick’s immediate test comes when United host Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Cherries arrive in strong form against the Red Devils, having gone unbeaten in their last three visits to Old Trafford and scoring ten goals across those fixtures — a record that will do little to ease the pressure on the United manager.