'Michael Carrick told me: "Management's not for me"': Nicky Butt's damning revelations on private conversations with Man United boss as he becomes second-favourite for the sack

Former Manchester United star Nicky Butt has bizarrely claimed Michael Carrick told him 'management's not for me' before he took the job at Old Trafford. 

Carrick, 45, returned to the club where he earned legendary status as a player in January in the aftermath of Ruben Amorim's sacking. 

Despite a strong end to last season where he guided United to third place, Carrick already finds himself under pressure this time around after picking up six points from six matches. 

Such has been his side's difficult start that Carrick is second favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave at 5/2 with Paddy Power, just behind 2/1 favourite Alvaro Arbeloa. 

The former midfielder was heavily criticised after United's 1-1 draw with ten-man Tottenham at the weekend, and Butt revealed some of their private conversations about his coaching ambitions.

'I was with Michael before he got the Man United job and spoke to him about management,' Butt told The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast. 

'He went "no it's not for me, it's too much, my head's all over the show, I'd only do it for the big job. The big job is Man United."

'So because that club's gone to him he's naturally going to go and do it. I think when he's gone through that door, put aside last year because like Scholesy said that's totally different to this year, I think he's realised he's gone into a club that's different to the club that he knew and was at. 

'But these lads won't turn down Man United. Ole Gunnar (Solskjaer) wouldn't turn it down. 

'Roy Keane might never turn that down. When that club comes calling and you've been at that football club, you don't turn it down.' 

The comments from Butt, who didn't play with Carrick at Old Trafford but came across him during his time as a coach at the club, are hugely unhelpful for the United boss.  

One win in the first six Premier League games marks United's worst start to a campaign in 40 years, but Carrick came out fighting ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash at Atletico Madrid. 

He said: 'I love this part of sometimes when it's not quite going for you, you see who's really there in the group, players, the squad, who's really there and who wants to be there in the long-term.

'[You see who is] really attached to it and [who it] really means something [to].

'The supporters are there, they’re desperate for it, and we’ve got to give them something. 

'I think you’ve got to embrace the challenges to get to where you want to be. We’re right there now in the middle of it, but I totally believe that we’ll work through it.'

When questioned on whether he is under pressure, Carrick added: 'It depends how you define pressure. There's our own expectation. 

'We know what we're capable of doing as a team, what we expect as a group and as a football club. That comes from us. 

'I certainly don't look outside or elsewhere of what it should look like. I know fine well what it should look like. I've felt it and I've felt the ups and I've felt the downs. I don't feel the pressure from that at all.' 

After the Atletico match, United face Leeds, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Aston Villa in the Premier League before the November international break, while they also take on Como and Roma in Europe.