Michael Carrick has broken his silence for the first time since he was sacked by Manchetser United on Thursday as he penned a letter to the fans and his former players

Michael Carrick has broken his silence for the first time since his Manchester United sacking as he penned a letter to fans and his former players. The club legend was sacked on Thursday with United in the relegation zone.

Weeks of intense speculation about Carrick's future ended this week when the 45-year-old and his coaching staff were relieved of their duties.

Carrick, who won all there is to win with United, arrived in January last year as interim boss and guided the club to third in the table, was given the permanent job in the summer, but following a meeting between co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and executives Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada in Monaco, Carrick was informed of the decision in person, while at the same time, United moved to secure Mauricio Pochettino as his replacement.

The process has been slammed as "classless" by Gary Neville and fans have criticised the board for treating a club legend so poorly. Carrick also had to battle discipline problems with Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes in recent weeks.

But following his exit, Carrick showed his class by posting a message on social media, which reads: "I’ve had the immense privilege of leading Manchester United, the football club that I love. There are very few who get to live that and feel it, and for that I’m incredibly grateful.

"With that comes huge responsibility, and to be at Manchester United, you need to understand exactly what that means. It’s different to anywhere else.

"Ultimately, you need to push to be the best, but there is a culture, there are values and there are behaviours that you have to live by and respect, which have been built over a long period of time.

"It’s a football club that is unique, with substance and history that cannot be ignored. This is what inspired me every single day.

"I want to say a big thank you to the supporters. I must say, you are a special, rare breed. We’ve had some great times this year and moments we’ll all remember. The best thing about being in my position was seeing so many of you lose yourselves in the emotion of those moments, leaving the stadium desperate to come back again next time.

"I just wanted to give you something back. That love never dies.

"I know we’ve not had the results lately, but you’ve shown me nothing but love and support in times when the easiest thing, and what most end up doing, would be to turn the other way.

"That means more than a win or two. That’s what makes you who you are. That’s why I fell in love with this club all those years ago.

"A special thank you to my coaching staff. You gave me everything you had, every single day, and I couldn’t have asked for any more. I’m incredibly grateful for your loyalty, hard work and support throughout.

"To all the staff behind the scenes, thank you for everything you do for this football club. So much of your work goes unseen, but it never goes unappreciated.

"And to the players, thank you for your efforts and the moments we’ve shared. I wish you all the very best for what’s ahead.

"I want nothing but success for Manchester United. This club has been such a big part of my life and that will never change. I’ll always be proud to have played my part and I’ll always want the very best for it.

"I’ll be right there with you from now on, watching from the sidelines, cheering the lads on. Michael."

More to follow...

This is a breaking sports story and is being constantly updated with the latest news, pictures and videos. Please refresh the page regularly.

You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest sports stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our sports newsletter.

Get all the very best sports news, pictures, opinion and video by following Daily Star every time you see our name.

Follow Daily Star on Google News - and click the star

Follow Daily Star on Apple News - available on Apple devices

Follow Daily Star on Flipboard - and click follow You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news by following @‌DailyStar_Sport and follow us @‌dailystar for all the latest updates.

Keep up-to-date with your must-see sports stories, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at Daily Star Football | London