Carrick in Touch with Solskjaer After Landing Man Utd Job; Amorim's Tedious Training Methods Exposed

Michael Carrick has confirmed he remains in regular contact with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following his successful appointment as Manchester United's interim manager, with the Norwegian providing full backing despite missing out on the role himself.

United moved swiftly to replace Ruben Amorim this month after a disappointing 14-month tenure saw the club fail to gain meaningful traction at Old Trafford. Darren Fletcher oversaw the side for matches against Burnley and Brighton before Carrick secured the interim position through to the campaign's conclusion.

The former midfielder edged out Solskjaer in the race for the job, with both having held discussions with the club. Carrick has already made an impression, notably steering United to victory over Manchester City in the derby – his opening fixture in charge.

Speaking about his relationship with Solskjaer, Carrick explained: "Yeah, I've spoken to him. I'm close (to Solskjaer). We've been through a lot together, so he's been fully supportive, as you'd expect. He's some man and I respect him an awful lot. He wished me all the best and he was happy that we got the right result."

He continued: "I think friendships, you have conversations. I've got a lot of friends in places that I can kind of pick on if I need to be. I'm not one that bothers a lot of people, to be honest. But he's certainly there if ever I need him."

Carrick has already begun reshaping the squad's mindset at Carrington, with training ground insiders suggesting the players are responding far more positively to his methods. The previous regime under Amorim, it seems, had left much to be desired in terms of engagement.

According to those in the know, Amorim's sessions were "gruelling but boring," with excessive focus on tactical minutiae leading to lengthy drills that sometimes lacked genuine intensity. Players found themselves mentally fatigued by the sheer volume of information being demanded of them.

By contrast, Carrick's approach has struck a markedly different chord. His sessions are tighter, more purposeful, and delivered with considerably more bite – precisely what the squad needed. The evidence arrived swiftly: that impressive showing against City is being widely attributed to the fresh energy and focus Carrick has injected into proceedings.

Regarding United's transfer strategy, Carrick acknowledged his role in shaping future recruitment plans. The club spent nearly £200m on attacking reinforcements last summer, meaning midfield represents the primary area for improvement in the coming windows.

"I'm certainly in this position to do that," Carrick said when asked about involvement in identifying midfield targets. "Making decisions for the club moving forward, whatever that may be, I'm fully committed to that. Naturally, as a midfielder, there's a big tendency towards that anyway. But taking that away from it and now being where I am in the position I am, certainly would be part of those conversations moving forward. Because it's important that we get the next steps right in terms of moving forward as a team and there's a squad and putting the right things in place. I'll be part of that in the right way."