Carrick looking forward to Frank reunion when Man Utd face Spurs

Manchester United’s interim head coach Michael Carrick has enjoyed an ideal start to his time in charge, with wins over Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham. (AFP pic)LONDON: Michael Carrick will be up against Thomas Frank just a few months after interviewing the Tottenham manager when Manchester United seek a fourth successive Premier League win under their caretaker boss at Old Trafford on Saturday.Former Spurs, United and England midfielder Carrick has enjoyed an ideal start to his time in charge – which at this rate could last well beyond its scheduled finish at the end of the season, with wins over Manchester City, Premier League leaders Arsenal and last week’s dramatic 3-2 defeat of Fulham.Next up for Carrick are Spurs, with Carrick having interviewed opposing manager Frank ahead of the Dane’s first Champions League game in charge of the north London club.“Yeah, (life) certainly can change,” said Carrick as he reflected on the Amazon Prime interview in September.“I really enjoyed it, actually,” he added.“We got on really well. It’s the first time I’ve met him properly and we had a good chat just about general kind of football things… I enjoyed it, so it will be good to see him again,” he said.Frank joined Spurs in summer after impressing at London rivals Brentford but his position has been repeatedly called into question following the club’s inconsistency.However, European form has helped contribute to an improvement in Tottenham’s results, with last weekend’s 2-2 draw at home to City part of a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions.“They certainly bring a challenge,” Carrick said.“I think you can see especially the way they finished the game the other day.“They’ve had players injured and ins and outs, and a lot of changes to the team, which makes things a lot more challenging, a lot more difficult from their perspective. But they’re getting players back.“They’ve got really good attackers that look to stretch the backline and play forward and attack the box an awful lot. It’s something we’ve certainly got to be aware of,” Carrick said.‘Fond memories’The 44-year-old added: “We’re in a good place and the boys have worked well again this week. Again, feet on the ground, let’s not get carried away with what has gone on. It’s about what’s next again.”Tottenham won all four meetings against United last season, including May’s Europa League final in Bilbao.Carrick hopes to end that run against a club where he spent two seasons before moving to Old Trafford in an £18.6 million (US$25.2 million) deal back in 2006.“I’ve got really fond memories of Tottenham and being at the club,” said Carrick.“I was there for only a short time when you look back, but I really enjoyed it,” he said.“Good team, Martin Jol was the manager and there was a lot of things I learned at the club in that short period of time.“But, I’ve said it enough times, coming here (United) was a jump and a big jump at the time. I certainly felt that pretty quickly and then I think once you step inside this place as a footballer, it turns you.“So, pretty much from the first day walking into the dressing room and meeting the manager, from then on in that was me,” he added.

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Carrick looking forward to Frank reunion when Man Utd face Spurs

Manchester United’s interim head coach Michael Carrick will face Thomas Frank just months after interviewing for Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial role.

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