Butt: Carrick has made the players believe in themselves

Manchester United lost our first game with Michael Carrick as manager on Wednesday night, after we suffered a 2-1 defeat away to the 10 men of Newcastle.

Speaking to Paddy Power, Nicky Butt has reflected on the result and how disappointed the manager will be.

It was always going to come. What Michael’s done first and foremost at the club, he’s galvanised the players and the fans, has been phenomenal. No one expected that to happen that quickly and obviously that successfully.  But there was always going to be a blip, a bump in the road. They got close to one against West Ham away, but did a brilliant job in getting a draw there. Obviously last night wasn’t the result that they wanted or the performance. 

Newcastle’s a really tough place to go, particularly a night game when the atmosphere is up. I think Michael would be disappointed with the performance because they have been playing well, they have been creating chances – getting up the pitch and pressing high. Everything that they’d been doing successfully didn’t work out last night. When you go to play against 10 men, as easy as it sounds, it becomes a bit more difficult. Don’t ask me why, but it does. 

Michael will be bitterly disappointed with the performance, but Newcastle played really well, especially with 10 men.

After such an incredible start, there has been plenty of talk about Carrick taking on the position permanently. Butt has discussed the likelihood of that happening, if he keeps winning as many games as he has.

He’s brought in and instilled a calmness into the team. He’s a super calm guy. He’s made the players believe in themselves, but that’s an easy thing to do as an interim. You can be everyone’s friends and put your arms round everyone.

But when you get the role full-time, I think that’ll be when you get judged. That’ll be a really tricky time, he’s going to have to replace some of those players in the transfer window in the summer to get anywhere near the level the club wants to be – challenging for titles and cups, if and when he gets the job.

He can’t have done any more than what he’s done and the club have put themselves in a really hard position now. I knew this was going to happen only because when you’ve got an interim manager in, nine times out of ten you get the bounce effect. 

No one expected to get the results Michael’s got, obviously. But yeah, I think they’re going to get their hands forced, although now they may be thinking ‘if we don’t win the next game…’ then the pressure will change again.

Michael understands there’s always the media spotlight on whoever’s in charge of that football club – players, ex-players, pundits. You’ve got to expect that and he’ll understand that, it comes with the really lucky contract you get when you coach or play for that club.

I think he’ll get it but they won’t rush into it. They’ll wait and take their time, why would they rush in. They’ll have spoken to him at length about what they want him to do. Michael will be aware of how well he’s done and that he’s in with a very, very good chance of getting it. 

He’s a really good lad and not stupid, he won’t come out and say anything stupid, he’ll just keep pushing forward and do the job.

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