Michael Carrick Reveals He Will Be Part of Jose Mourinho's Coaching Staff for Man Utd's FA Cup Final
Michael Carrick has quickly turned his attention to coaching duties at Manchester United after hanging up his boots on the final day of the Premier League season. The retiring midfielder has agreed to be part of Jose Mourinho's backroom staff for the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
The 36-year-old played his 464th and final game for United in their 1-0 win against Watford and, although he was expected to join Mourinho's staff next season, Carrick has decided there is no time like the present to commence his new role.
“I am not training this week. I am going to jump on the staff. I will be on the coaching staff on Saturday. It [the role] changes overnight,” Carrick said, via the Telegraph.
“Jose is one of the best. He’s been around for many years. It all fits in. I obviously know the club and manager and will be learning off him, the backroom staff, trying to bring the kids through and have an influence on that. It just fits. Hopefully it still fits in a couple of years’ time.”
The former England international has admitted he intends to pick the brains of all the people he comes across in his new line of work, after first speaking to former teammates Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, as he potentially build up to a management role in the future.
Carrick added: “I think it is important. It’s a no-brainer to try to pick people’s brains to try to learn as much as I can. I will certainly be doing that. I can move on now and focus solely on the other side.
“You've got to go step by step. Just because I was a half-decent player it doesn’t guarantee you’re going to be a success in whatever you do. I’m well aware of that. I’m not getting ahead of myself.
"The end-game, maybe, if I get into it and I think I’d like to manage probably at this stage my answer would be yes. But I’m not getting carried away.”
As questions continue to be asked over who will fill the void left by Carrick, the midfielder himself insisted he will be present to offer his input, but that the club should not be seeking a direct like-for-like replacement, noting that he too was a completely different player to Roy Keane, from whom he inherited the number 16 shirt.
He added: “I’m there for me to give my opinion. But I don’t have the final say at all. That’s part of being on the staff to work with the manager to try to get what’s best for the club, support as best I can. That will evolve. When he wants my opinion I’m there to give it.
“I don’t like the word replace because you’ve got to evolve as a team. We’ve lost big players in the past, huge players, bigger than me and the club has moved on and still been successful. I’m sure that will be the case again.
“I had the issue when I signed and it was all about Roy Keane, but I was never going to replace Roy Keane because it’s not how I am. You’ve just got to evolve and find a way.
"There will be other players. There will be players here who will improve and progress and if anyone gets brought in, whoever gets brought in, the club will move on.”