Carragher gives verdict on Carrick sacking after backlash to Man Utd opinion

Jamie Carragher says it would be "ludicrous" for Manchester United to sack Michael Carrick, even though he doesn't see him as a long-term solution to the club's problems.

Carrick is under pressure at Old Trafford, having tasted victory just once in five Premier League matches and been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Brighton. United sit 12th in the table after needing a late equaliser to claim a point at Fulham before the international break.

Carragher provoked a reaction from United fans by writing a Telegraph column two weeks ago which claimed Carrick "would never have been approached by another elite club" with his CV. The former Liverpool defender was accused of being disrespectful to the United boss, who landed the job after making a huge impact as interim manager after Ruben Amorim was sacked.

But, speaking on The Overlap, Carragher has attempted to clarify his thoughts, stressing Carrick is the right man for the time-being, even if United should try to upgrade at the end of the season.

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"I did a newspaper column a couple of weeks ago on Michael Carrick and, like always happens, nobody really reads the column, the read the headline and it was seen as though I was having a go at him when it was actually the opposite," he said.

"I think it would be ludicrous to get rid of Michael Carrick. Maybe this is where people think I'm having a go at him. In my mind I don't see Michael Carrick as the Man United manager. I feel like he's in there doing a job for the club to get them through a rocky period and then almost to pass on the baton.

"If that's me being disrespectful then I'm not meaning it like that. But he came in and Man United needed calm, they needed it to not be a circus and it not to be the banter club. He did that amazingly. His results have been unbelievable since he came into the job over the long period.

"He got the job on the back of that. And the fact he got them into the Champions League brings the money. Man United need to be a Champions League club again, it's not about 'wow we're going to win the league again'. Calm down. Last year, it was false that they finished third. No cup games, Carrick coming in had an effect on supporters.

"They need another season of just making it straight in the Champions League. That's the way I see it. And then it would be the case of [getting] one of the top managers about who could manage a club of that level. I don't like the idea of changing Michael Carrick now or in the next international break - it just needs to be relaxed."

United are not in action again until October 10, when they play fellow strugglers Tottenham in the Premier League. They then begin a busy period of fixtures with a tricky trip to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League before another away day at Leeds.