A defiant Michael Carrick insisted he was “not surprised” to still be Manchester United manager for the Red Devils’ trip to London this weekend to face Chelsea.

Appointed permanently at Old Trafford in the summer following an impressive interim stint, Carrick has now overseen eight straight games without victory, leaving Man Utd 16th in the Premier League table and out of the Carabao Cup.

A 3-0 humbling at the hands of Bournemouth on Sunday led to immense speculation that the former midfielder would be dismissed from his position, only for a meeting of club chiefs on Monday leading to the decision to keep the head coach for the foreseeable future.

Asked if he was surprised to still be in his job, Carrick responded: "No, no, I'm here to do my job and I'm desperate to improve things. I'm not surprised, no.”

At the helm: Michael Carrick

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All of the noise and reports surrounding United implied Carrick was a dead man walking, but the ex-Middlesbrough boss felt he needed no assurances from his superiors.

He continued: "I don't need any assurances from anyone; I get the position and understand the responsibility and what comes with that. I don't need any assurances from anyone."

Carrick also insisted that he paid no attention to speculation in the media and online, adding: "I don't see it really, I see the things I need to see. I don't look for it because it doesn't help. I care about what the supporters think, what we give them and offer them, and what they see. I know what we need to do to be better - I don't need anyone else to tell me."

Following the defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend, Carrick revealed he went straight back to work, preparing for the clash with Chelsea - the start of a difficult run for Man Utd.

Asked about the aftermath of the Bournemouth game, he said: "To be honest, disappointment from the game, from the result.

"It's clear from the way the game went. Dealing with that was the main thing, looking at what we could have done better. Then getting back to training with the players and preparing for the next game against Chelsea."