Carrick has no guarantee beyond Aston Villa match

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick said he has received no assurance that he will remain in charge beyond Sunday’s Premier League match against Aston Villa, as the club entered the relegation zone before the fixture.

Asked whether club officials had told him he would still be in charge the following week, Carrick said: “No. Just carry on as absolute normal. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.” He said he was focused on preparing for the game at Old Trafford.

United dropped into the bottom three after Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City on Saturday. The club’s position could change again depending on other results, but it was in the relegation zone ahead of the Aston Villa match.

Carrick’s future has been under discussion following a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on October 25. United then lost to Chelsea before coming back to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday. The victory ended a long winless run, described in reports as nine games without a win or one win in 10 matches across competitions.

Carrick said he was carrying on as normal and did not plan to change his approach during the international break. He said United would train the...