MANCHESTER, England — Michael Carrick has said he’s “not bothered” by personal criticism from Roy Keane in the wake of his appointment as Manchester United boss.
Carrick has been named head coach at Old Trafford until the end of the season.
The 44-year-old starts his reign with a derby against Manchester City on Saturday.
Only three days in the job, he’s already found himself in Keane’s crosshairs with the former United captain saying Carrick’s wife, Lisa, “is probably doing the team talk” — a reference to an incident in 2014 when Lisa called out Keane on social media following criticism of Carrick’s performance in a 2-0 defeat to Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League.
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Noise from ex-players was something referenced by former head coach Ruben Amorim towards the end of his time in charge.
Carrick, though, said it’s “irrelevant.”
“It didn’t bother me,” Carrick stated when asked about Keane’s comments.
“[Former players] are not putting more pressure on me. I don’t feel that.
“There are plenty of opinions around, some positive, some not too much.
“It’s totally irrelevant in terms of what I focus on. I know what we want to improve on, how we want to work with the players.
“There’s a lot that can be said, it’s the way of the world. I’m not going to pay too much attention to that. For me, the players and staff, it’s a focus on how we’re going to succeed.”
Carrick has returned to the club more than four years after leaving following a short three-game stint as caretaker manager in 2021.
Having worked as a coach under José Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjær, he briefly bridged the gap between Solskjær’s dismissal and Ralf Rangnick’s appointment.
“It’s fantastic to be here,” Carrick said.
“It’s a great feeling to be in this position. I’ve had different roles and fallen in love with the club.
“I’m fully aware of the position I’m in. I’m eager to succeed, we’ve got a big job to do. We’ve got to win games and play well and do it in a certain way.”