Nicky Butt clarifies Carrick 'didn't want a job' claim as United slide into relegation trouble

Nicky Butt has sought to walk back comments that suggested Michael Carrick had no desire to return to management before taking the Manchester United job, insisting his words were misread — and the clarification comes at a sensitive moment, with United sitting 17th in the Premier League after a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at the weekend.

Butt originally disclosed the exchange on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast last month, recounting a conversation he had with Carrick before the United appointment. “He went, ‘No it’s not for me, it’s too much. My head’s all over the show. I’d only do it for the big job,’” Butt said at the time. “The big job is Man United.”

United were reported to be displeased with the remarks, particularly given the pressure already building around Carrick’s position. The club have failed to win in nine consecutive fixtures across all competitions, leaving them only outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Butt moved to reframe the original story. “I was playing in a padel tournament with Michael, he’s my doubles partner,” he explained. “I had a beer after it, and I was like ‘so what’s your plans mate? What do you think you’re going to do when you get back into management?’”

“He said ‘no, it’s all over the show, it’s hard work — however, if the big one came up, obviously I would take it.’ And the big one did come up, and he took it. That wasn’t a case of me saying Michael didn’t want the Man United job — it was a case of he didn’t want a job. He didn’t want to go driving up and down the M6 all day when he’s got kids at home for no reward. But if the big one comes, which I assume was Man United, then he’d take it. That’s the facts of the conversation.”

Carrick, 45, had been out of management for seven months after leaving Middlesbrough before being appointed United interim manager in January following Ruben Amorim’s departure. A third-place Premier League finish and Champions League qualification earned him the permanent role in the summer.

Carrick himself appeared unbothered by Butt’s original comments when they surfaced last month. “I definitely wouldn’t be here if that was the case, would I?” he said at a press conference.

The episode, however minor in isolation, adds noise around a manager whose position is under growing scrutiny. United’s nine-game winless run has intensified questions about whether Carrick can arrest the slide before the situation becomes irretrievable.