An ex-Premier League star has shared what he learned about Manchester United manager Michael Carrick

A former Premier League star has revealed what Manchester United coach Jonathan Woodgate said about Michael Carrick months before his appointment at Old Trafford. The 44-year-old was named interim manager in January and enjoyed instant success in the dugout.

Following Ruben Amorim’s exit and Darren Fletcher’s two-game caretaker spell, Carrick faced what seemed a tough run of fixtures after accepting the job. Shock victories over Manchester City and Arsenal followed as the club won six of his first seven games in charge.

United have since faced the first real setback of Carrick’s reign, losing 2-1 to 10-man Newcastle on Wednesday. United’s earlier elimination from the FA Cup gives Carrick more time to find solutions ahead of a crucial clash against Aston Villa next weekend, having propelled his side up to third in the league.

The ex-Middlesbrough boss was not widely expected to transform United’s fortunes immediately. However, his positive start comes as no surprise to former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, who gained insight from a member of Carrick’s coaching staff in November.

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“I think he’s done an unbelievable job and, you know what, it’s no surprise either,” Warnock said on In the Mixer, brought to you by Sky Bet. “I think he’s so relaxed, so calm.

“I did a game with Jonathan Woodgate. We did the Liverpool-Real Madrid game co-commentary together.

“I was speaking to him as they’d just left Middlesbrough and said, ‘What’s [Carrick] like?’ And he said, ‘Brilliant.’

“Obviously, he’s gone in there and he’s really close with him but [Woodgate] said the level of detail, everything he does. And you think, ‘If you’re doing that at United, they’ll buy into it straight away.’ That’s what they needed as well.”

In January, Woodgate was named United’s interim first team coach. It is the second time he has formed part of Carrick’s backroom staff, having worked together for almost three years at Middlesbrough before leaving the club last summer.

The ex-Leeds and Newcastle defender is one part of a new coaching setup at United that includes assistant Steve Holland and club icon Jonny Evans. Carrick’s staff will aim to help get the 13-time Premier League champions get back to winning ways against Villa.

Discussing his team’s extended break after the Newcastle loss, Carrick said: “We’ve got to make the best out of it, we’ve got to make it a help.

“There’s no sense in not learning lessons and understanding why tonight was what it was and how it happened and developed. We’ve got to learn from that, so we look at it and we’ll learn from that.

“It’s an important game, it’s a big week for us, it’s one we look forward to. We’re in a position now that we’ve put ourselves in, the boys have put themselves in, that can be really exciting. So we’ve got to be really positive going into the next game and look forward to it, because there’s a lot to play for.”

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