Michael Carrick refuses to rule out Manchester United title tilt despite 13-point gap

Old Trafford, Monday – Interim Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has declined to dismiss his side’s dwindling Premier League title hopes, insisting “you can’t rule anything out in football” even though the reigning champions sit 13 points behind leaders Arsenal with only 10 fixtures remaining.

United’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday stretched Carrick’s unbeaten domestic run to six wins from seven matches, a sequence that has yielded 19 points out of a possible 21 – the best record in the division since the 43-year-old stepped into the dug-out. Yet the resurgence has still left the Red Devils adrift of Mikel Arteta’s pacesetters, albeit with a game in hand.

Asked ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Newcastle whether the gap is now insurmountable, Carrick replied: “You can’t rule anything out in football, but we’ve got to be realistic and know where it’s at. I think we’ve just got to try and keep winning games and see. Above us now there’s two fantastic teams. There’s some really good teams around us. We’ve had a good run, we’re certainly not getting carried away.”

The former England midfielder, who collected five league winner’s medals under Sir Alex Ferguson, acknowledged the scale of the task, saying United “have to win a lot of football matches” to sustain any outside challenge. “Of course, I’m being realistic about it,” he added. “So we’ll do what we’ve been doing and go one at a time. We’ve got one more now and then we’ve got a little bit of a break before Villa so we’ll go and give it everything on Wednesday night.”

Carrick’s focus now switches to St James’ Park, where Newcastle – 15 points behind United and on a three-game home losing streak – will attempt to derail the visitors’ momentum. “It’s a challenging place to play,” he warned. “When they’re in full flow and the supporters are there, it’s a tough place so we’ve got to be ready for that.”

United’s medical staff will assess Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw after both players were withdrawn against Palace feeling unwell, while Lisandro Martínez and Mason Mount remain unavailable through injury.

Carrick, contracted only until the summer, was coy on whether a sustained climb up the table could strengthen his case for the permanent managerial role. “There’s not really an awful lot I can say about it, to be honest,” he said. “I love being here. I love doing what I’m doing… I’m not making any decisions for short-term or quick fixes. I think it’s the responsibility, however long I’m here, to make decisions that are the best for the football club in the long term.”

For now, Carrick’s mantra is simple: keep winning and let the standings take care of themselves.