MICHAEL CARRICK

You set out to be a footballer, when you're young, and you think I'd love to do that. There's plenty of things along the way that could change that, and it's the same thing now with being a manager, it's time will tell how it goes.

I'm doing things in Manchester with the Trafford Sports Park in partnership with the Manchester United foundation and I'm also doing things in Newcastle as well. It's something I'm passionate about.

In a way, I feel there's a Carrick style of playing.

It wasn't until I started my coaching badges that I found that I enjoyed it.

It is something I would like to do, to be a manager, but that's not assuming I will be. It's something that I can strive towards and see where it takes us.

You look at players who are off form and there's a general disappointment, their confidence goes low and their whole demeanour can change. I've seen it hundreds of times but it's difficult to know what's really going on inside someone's mind.

I do try to stay involved in training and keep that routine as much as I can. I just feel I need to do it for myself, not because the manager demands it, but because you get to a stage where you have to manage yourself - what suits you; what doesn't.

I was never comfortable at United, really.

When I came in at United, I'd seen what the manager set, how the players lived their lives, how they trained, how they lived with the expectation and all sorts, playing three games a week at that level. And that is when I thought 'woah - this is different, this is something else.'

It's always been the ones that got away that stick in your memory. You use them for motivation. The ones you win are brilliant and you enjoy them, and then you move on.

As a coach or manager, if it was something that had to be done I'd be comfortable doing it but I'd still be true to myself. I wouldn't turn into a madman or start throwing teacups and screaming.

I do not take winning things for granted.

If you like being patted on the back for the good times you have to be prepared to take the bad times.

If you look at anyone's career, there are times when you have hard times. Even the best players have to struggle through things.

I think as an older player, there's a kind of natural responsibility or natural role to go around the lads and say a few things. I had it when I came into the team; when you look to the older boys in certain situations to see what they say, see how they act, and see what they expect.

The Champions League and the Premier League are now both huge, but the tradition and history of the FA Cup is still very special.

But that's something I enjoyed. That's the game, the challenge, trying to think 'what am I am aiming to do here? Where do I want to pass the ball? What area do I want to get it in?' Then it's instinct... but that's just me, that's how I was made, that's my make-up.

It is tough when you don't play for a while and a couple of games go by when, you've worked hard to be ready, but then aren't involved.

I actually had the chance to sign for Newcastle before I went to West Ham; I didn't in the end because they had got rid of their reserve team. There were a few clubs interested but I liked what West Ham had to offer and never regretted signing for them, I loved it straight away.

The expectation at United is to win every game and you have to be at your very best in training, never mind in the games.

I've had a decent career, I've been a decent player but coaching is a whole different ball game. I can take the experience that I've got but there's so much more to it than that and I'd never take it for granted and just say I can jump into a new role and it will be easy and a breeze because I know it won't be like that.

The 2006 World Cup was the summer I came to United so the England thing was kind of ongoing. Getting to the World Cup was massive but it wasn't until I got to United that I had that feeling that winning was a possibility.

Any experience you go through, you take something away from it, and I've always taken more from the harder times.

I think bravery is to get on the ball and be bold enough and confident enough to try things when everyone is looking at you and the pressure is on and people are expecting you to win.

Certainly every manager I've played under you take things from them. That's just part of gaining all that knowledge over the years. Some good, some not so good, but it's all part of the process.