Michael Carrick: Manchester United’s interim coach hints he wants to stay full time

Asked for his thoughts on what might happen if United’s current three-game winning streak continues since he took over from interim coach Darren Fletcher last month, Carrick took a neutral stance.

“I love what I do. I’m here,” he said. “I feel at home here, but I completely understand the situation, so I won’t make a big deal out of it.”

United have pledged to take their time assessing all suitable candidates to replace Amorim, although a source with direct knowledge of the appointment of managers and coaches at club and international level told BBC Sport that signing a deal with a World Cup manager ahead of the tournament was a “huge risk”, for a number of reasons, including negative publicity from the country in question.

Meanwhile, Carrick confirmed that Danish international Patrick Dorjo could be out for 10 weeks due to the hamstring injury he suffered during the win over Arsenal last month.

Carrick also revealed a Football Association (FA) connection between his brother Graeme and Steve Holland which led to the former England and Chelsea assistant coach joining him at United.

The Netherlands’ arrival as part of a coaching team that also includes former England international Jonathan Woodgate, former United defender Jonny Evans and the club’s under-21 coach Travis Bennion, is seen as a masterstroke.

Graeme Carrick was involved in developing young players at St George’s Park around the same time that the Stockport-born Netherlands joined Gareth Southgate for England Under-21s more than a decade ago.

“When talks were progressing and it looked like I might come back, I had conversations with my brother and we ended up mentioning Steve,” Carrick said.

He added: “I knew him from the FA and I met Steve several times.

“I was very aware of his experience and quality and we clicked immediately.

“He grew up a big United fan, which helped him initially but he was also successful at Chelsea, where he knew what it took to win trophies with different styles, different coaches and different types of players.”