Carrick committed to Manchester United future despite drop into relegation zone

Michael Carrick says he expects to remain Manchester United manager after the international break, despite the club falling into the Premier League relegation zone.

United avoided a damaging defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday as they fought back from two goals behind on two occasions to draw 4-4 at Old Trafford.

Late strikes from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu earned United a point, but the result was not enough to prevent them dropping into the bottom three.

It is the first time in 40 years that United have been in the relegation zone after August, increasing the pressure on Carrick.

The former midfielder acknowledged that the club have not won enough matches but said he remained focused on improving the team rather than stepping down.

“We haven’t won enough games, but I expect to move forward and keep working on the things that we’ve been working on,” Carrick told Sky Sports.

“Showing a lot of the good things in the game today, tighten up on a few mistakes and win football matches.”

Carrick admitted he was unhappy with United’s position but believes there is still enough time to change the course of their season.

“We’re in November,” he said. “I don’t like the situation where we are, I don’t like the results that we’ve had, but we can definitely do something about it.”

The 45-year-old also rejected the possibility of resigning if he decided that leaving would be in the club’s best interests.

Asked whether he would step aside, Carrick replied: “That’s not going to happen.

“I’m quite clear what direction the club needs to go in, and we’ve just got to win games.”

Carrick also indicated that he was not planning to immediately seek a meeting with his superiors about his position. Instead, he said his priority was preparing the squad for the club’s next fixture.

“I’m pretty clear where we need to go and how we need to get there,” he added.

United will use the international break to address the weaknesses exposed by their recent results before returning to action against fierce rivals Liverpool on November 22.

The draw with Aston Villa extended the scrutiny on Carrick, but the late comeback gave United a point from a match in which they had twice appeared likely to suffer another defeat.