Michael Carrick took on new role during Man Utd’s FA Cup win over West Ham

Michael Carrick is cutting his teeth as a coach at Manchester United.

The former midfielder joined the coaching staff at Old Trafford when he retired in 2018 and has remained a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s staff.

And the regard with which he is held by the Norwegian was evident in the FA Cup against West Ham as he was handed a unique role.

Solskjaer rotates his staff to take turns in the technical area during games and offer advice and instructions to his players.

But it was Carrick who was on touchline duty throughout against the Hammers, occasionally being joined from the dugout by Solskjaer.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the ex-England star had a calm persona throughout and was rarely animated.

He had a constant presence as the man giving instructions, telling his midfielders to speed up play and ensuring Solskjaer rarely had to leave his seat.

Speaking ahead of the game against his former club, Carrick gave an insight into his philosophy.

“We want the boys to express themselves,” said Carrick. “There is real talent in the group and we just want them to express themselves.

"We play well when we play a certain way and I thought you couldn’t fault the boys against Southampton [recently] because there were so many good things in the performance.

“Whether that’s against 10 or 11 men, is not so much a factor, as the things we are looking for you could see in abundance.

“As staff, we were delighted, but more delighted for the players. Going into a game like that, which was a tough one going into it, and to produce a performance like they did was a credit to them.

“I just think the team is developing and we keep trying to add certain things in some ways but it’s down to the boys as well,” he added.

“It’s down to the individuals. We fully believe in what the boys are capable of and the potential they still have and that encouragement, as Ole says a lot, is for them to express themselves.

“There is a balance, of course there is. You can’t have the whole team in the box. There is a balance to be had. We want to attack with numbers, be exciting and play quick football. Thankfully, we’ve managed to do that.”

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