‘It will become clear when it becomes clear’ - Carrick claims he will not pressure Ratcliffe about his future

An impressive run of eight wins in 12 matches that has put United on the verge of Champions League qualification.

A recent 1-0 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge took them 10 points clear of the Blues and three points clear of Liverpool.

Carrick’s performance has led to reports suggesting he is the leading candidate to be appointed permanent head coach.

The situation has drawn parallels to Solskjaer's time at Old Trafford, where a successful interim spell led to a full-time contract, though the initial success proved difficult to sustain.

However, Carrick, who was part of the Norwegian's coaching staff and was selected for the top job over him in January, was quick to dismiss any parallels between the two scenarios.

"I've got the utmost respect for him," said the United boss. "He's a close friend of mine and I worked closely with him when I was here. I was quite attached to that, and we did a lot of good things."

"We came close. In the end, it changed and went in a different direction. That's football," he continued. 

"You can compare to all sorts of different situations... It just depends on what you choose to compare, but it's irrelevant really. That's not a negative or a positive. It just doesn't have a link at all."

The head coach held discussions with minority owner Ratcliffe at the club's Carrington training ground on Monday, but remains in the dark about whether he will be given the job permanently. 

The club is reportedly waiting until a Champions League spot is mathematically secured before making a final decision.

Despite the uncertainty, Carrick is content to wait. "It's not something in terms of deadline that I'm really chasing," he added. 

"It will become clear when it becomes clear. There's only so much I can say, but I love being here. It's a real privilege to be in the position I am, thriving with the responsibility that we've got."