Michael Carrick has been backed by Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, although he wouldn’t confirm if the manager’s stay would be extended.
Carrick was appointed United boss until the end of this season when Ruben Amorim was sacked.
He has overseen an ascent to third in the Premier League table, with qualification for next season’s Champions League now on the cards.
Despite losing for the first time, against Newcastle United last time out, Carrick’s performance has been praised by Ratcliffe.
“He’s doing an excellent job. Yeah, absolutely,” Ratcliffe told Sky Sports News.
However, Ratcliffe stopped short of endorsing Carrick for a longer stay.
“Not going there,” he said.
The co-owner of the club admitted he is eyeing qualification for the Champions League.
“Yes, clearly we’re thinking about that,” Ratcliffe said. “But there’s still seven or eight games to go. Still a while yet.”
Carrick has impressed at United for his calmness with the media and his dealing with the pressure of the job, but there is no rush internally to hand him a longer contract, sources have told ESPN.
His profile as a manager has been raised and he wouldn’t be short of alternative options if he left Old Trafford, sources also told ESPN.
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Carrick’s United host Aston Villa on Sunday as their Champions League push continues.
He said: “It’s a tough league. Most teams, if not every team, has suffered that in recent times so it’s putting things in perspective and putting it in a shape where we can improve.
“We’ve taken a lot of confidence from [games recently] as a group and what we show we can achieve and how we play.
“It’s an important game, there’s no getting away from it. It’s a fantastic game.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position now where there’s an awful lot to play for so really embracing the situation and looking forward to the next game.”
Information from ESPN’s Mark Ogden contributed to this report.
