Carrick Refuses To Rule Out Premier League Push As United Chase Arsenal

‎Michael Carrick has not dismissed the possibility of Manchester United catching Arsenal in the title race, though the interim manager acknowledged they would need a long run of victories to do so.

‎His side claimed a sixth win under his leadership with a 2-1 triumph over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, taking 19 points from a possible 21 since his appointment.

‎Despite having the best Premier League form in that span, United remain 13 points behind Arsenal with a game in hand and 10 fixtures left to play.

‎Carrick was asked before United’s game at Newcastle on Wednesday whether he would rule out catching Mikel Arteta’s team.

‎“You can’t rule anything out in football,” he said, “but we’ve got to be realistic and know where it’s at. I think we’ve just got to try and keep winning games and see. Above us now there are two fantastic teams.

‎”There are some really good teams around us. We’ve had a good run, we’re certainly not getting carried away.

‎”You’ve got to be patient but you’ve got to be living in the moment a little bit, certainly, take the confidence. Wherever that’s going to take us, we’ll just have to see. But we’ll keep pushing.”

‎Carrick won five championships under Sir Alex Ferguson as a United midfielder. It was put to him that the Scot’s fierce competitiveness could offer inspiration that the title can be claimed. “[I am] definitely ‘a glass is half full’ on what you can achieve more than the negative side,” ­Carrick said.

‎“Of course, I’m being realistic about it we have to win a lot of football matches for that to happen.

‎“So we’ll do what we’ve been doing and go one at a time. We’ve got one more now and then we’ve got a little bit of a break before [Aston] Villa so we’ll go and give it everything on Wednesday night.”

‎Carrick, whose contract runs until the end of the season, was asked whether he believed continued success would increase his chances of being offered the job permanently. “There’s not really an awful lot I can say about it, to be honest,” he said. “I love being here. I love doing what I’m doing. I’ve said it from the start: I’m not making any decisions for short-term or quick fixes.

‎“I think it’s the responsibility, however long I’m here, to make decisions that are the best for the football club in the long term. Of course, winning games helps and the boys are doing great with that. We’ll just have to see where it ends up.”

‎Newcastle is 15 points behind and has lost its past three home league games, but Carrick said, “It’s a challenging place to play. When they’re in full flow and the supporters are there, it’s a tough place so we’ve got to be ready for that.”

‎Lisandro Martínez and Mason Mount are still sidelined with injuries, while Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw will undergo fitness tests after both were forced off against Palace due to feeling unwell.