Michael Carrick thanks Manchester United fans for their support ahead of the protest

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has praised the support he has received from the club’s fans and said he is “not offended” by the planned protest ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Fulham.

Carrick achieved a 100% record in his second spell after unexpected wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.

Despite the improvement following the sacking of Ruben Amorim and the fact United have moved into the top four of the Premier League for the first time this season following Arsenal’s success, the 1958 fan group is pressing ahead with their protest.

The group claims to expect between 5,000 and 6,000 fans to attend the protest march, although as it begins an hour before kick-off from either side of the pitch and meets in the middle next to the ‘Law, Best, Charlton’ statue outside Old Trafford, exact numbers will be difficult to pin down.

Organizers say they have “some surprises up their sleeves.”

“Our protest was never about performance on the pitch, not now, not once in the last 21 years,” they say.

“We are condemning a dysfunctional ownership model that has failed time and time again.”

Carrick said in his autobiography that the Glazers were “great owners.”

Few fans agree with these sentiments, regardless of whether they intend to join the protest or not.

Anti-Glazer songs are a feature of every United game, while minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has recently been the subject of negative sentiment from supporters.

When asked for his thoughts on the issue, Carrick preferred to focus on the support he and his team have received rather than tackling the broader issue.

“I don’t think so [the protest] “It’s linked to the two wins, to be honest.”

“I completely respect the fans. I’m not offended by it or anything, and the players certainly aren’t.

“On the pitch, the support we felt, which was present in all the matches I watched for some time, was at the highest level and I’m sure it will continue to be that way.

“The relationship we’ve had over the last two weeks has been very special and we’ve both fed off of that. This is exactly what we wanted and it’s something we need to continue to build on moving forward.”