Michael Carrick issues message to Man Utd chiefs with talks over transfer advancing

Michael Carrick has been confirmed as Manchester United’s permanent manager and it appears that planning for his first summer transfer window at the helm is already underway

Michael Carrick has vowed Manchester United will only sign players that move the club ‘forward’ this summer. The former midfielder is set to oversee his first window as the Red Devils’ permanent boss.

He was handed a long-term contract last week, having impressed in his spell as interim. United have won 11 of Carrick’s 16 games in charge - form that has seen them secure a spot in next season’s Champions League.

With Carrick’s future having now been decided, attention will turn to the summer transfer window. The Red Devils are understood to want to sign a new midfielder as Casemiro’s replacement.

A number of names including Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson and Atalanta’s Ederson have all been linked. Sky Sports report that a deal for the latter is 'advancing' with hopes a club-to-club agreement is close.

FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

And Carrick has made it clear that whoever the club choose to sign this summer, they have to be capable of taking the side to the next level.

He said: “I think the beauty of the next transfer window, for everybody, it's always the biggest thing in the world, and the most important transfer window of all time, for every club, I think.

“That's just the nature of how it's been created, to be honest, and I think, again, as a football club, you want to keep moving forward. We certainly do. As a football club, we want to keep moving forward.

“I think it's acknowledged we're at this stage, and the dynamics and the balance of the direction we're at, where we've ended up getting to, and finishing in the league, there's obviously work to do.

“It's quite obvious, with certain players leaving, there's a bit of work to do, but this one is not any more important than the last one, it's what's ahead of us as a football club to try and make the most of it.”

While additions will of course be pursued this summer, Carrick also believes United’s young players could have a big impact next season.

He added: “I've seen that, for sure. I've seen development, a lot of development, in different ways. Some of it you see on the pitch, it's obvious it's there performance-wise, because there's a technical part of it and the players are improving in that regard.

“I think I've said it before, but sometimes the feeling of being comfortable is the best way of being here, knowing what it feels like to play here, having an element of success, having an element of a few challenges, and you come through it and you understand what it takes to get through it.

“I think that, as much as anything, and then you can grow, your character and personality comes out even more. I've seen that for some of the younger players, and actually not just the younger players, you can see everyone grow that little bit more when you're getting good results with good performances.

“So I think leadership's different from everyone. I think there's some leadership examples, some show it a little bit more vocally, but you can definitely see each and every player grow when you're moving in the right direction, for sure.”