Daily Mail: Man United unhappy after Nicky Butt shares private Carrick conversation

Manchester United are unhappy with Nicky Butt for revealing a private conversation with Michael Carrick, the Daily Mail reports, after Butt said Carrick had told him management was “not for me” before taking the United job.

Butt recounted the exchange on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast with Paul Scholes. He said Carrick told him: “I’ll only do it for the big job, and that’s Man United.” The Daily Mail says sources at United were bemused by Butt’s comments and felt they had been sensationalised.

The newspaper also reports that United questioned why Butt had not shared the conversation last season, when Carrick returned to Old Trafford in January and guided the club to third place. According to the report, Carrick and Butt are not close, were never teammates and have not spent much time together.

The disclosure comes as Carrick faces pressure after United collected six points from their first six Premier League matches. United are 13th in the table ahead of Sunday’s trip to Leeds United on 18 October. The Daily Mail report says Carrick retains the board’s backing despite links to Antonio Conte and Eddie Howe.

The Peoples Person also reports that United had taken issue with Butt and Scholes after the pair criticised Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez. That adds another point of tension around Butt’s comments, though the reported frustration over the Carrick conversation centres on its being private and, in United’s view, sensationalised.

Butt’s account does not establish Carrick’s current view of management. The immediate story is United’s reported response to a remark about the job Carrick eventually took, with the club’s league position adding pressure as he prepares for the Leeds visit.