Michael Carrick says Manchester United cannot make “knee-jerk” decisions about their long-term future while he has won his first three games as manager.

The Red Devils have agreed a deal with their former midfielder, captain and coach until the end of the season after Ruben Amorim’s inconsistent 14-month reign came to an end in early January.

Carrick has revitalized United since taking over as manager three weeks ago, with wins over Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham lifting the side up to fourth in the Premier League.

Next up is Saturday’s game against his former club Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. The 44-year-old says he won’t get carried away if they win again, nor does he believe the club will.

“To be honest, nothing has changed,” said Carrick, who was named Premier League Manager of the Month for January.

“It doesn’t change what I do and it doesn’t change how I feel about it. I think I’m fully aware of the role that I play here and the responsibility that I have.

“We want to be successful. I want the club to be successful at the end of the season. If it were me, if it were anyone else at this stage, I can’t control that and we’ll see what happens.”

“But it’s definitely about improving the team and making United stronger and improving all the time. But nothing has changed. The results in a short period of time don’t change that.”

“If they change that, then there’s something wrong. It can’t be that knee-jerk either way, whether it’s really good or whether there’s something we need to address. It’s really steady progress.

“You know football can turn around and turn around very quickly, so we’ve got to stay a little bit level, really, and stay focused on what we need to do.”

Carrick was chosen to take charge of the remainder of the season after United also held talks with former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Red Devils decided to bring in a coach who knows the club to smooth the transition into a short-term role, allowing director of football Jason Wilcox time to conduct a thorough recruitment process.

The manager told Carrick he would be happy to be part of the conversation if his success continues, saying: “I love what I’m doing. You know, I’m here.”

“I feel at home here but I’m fully aware of the situation so I don’t get too carried away.”

Carrick’s only focus now is United’s upcoming games, with Saturday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur followed by Tuesday’s clash with his other former club, West Ham United.

Mercs on what Carrick needs to do to stay as Manchester United manager

Sky Sports’ Paul Merson said of the Premier League on Friday:

“What he needs – and this probably doesn’t help him – is to win five or six games quickly and then lose three or four games quickly and then how do you deal with that?

“People will say he should never have been United manager. But when you lose three or four games and the biggest clubs in the world look at you, how do you deal with that?

“We saw that with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he came in and took charge – but you see pictures of him away at Watford when they were devastated and he looked lost.

“Carrick probably needs to lose three or four games on the trot and then win five games on the trot and then everyone goes: This is a good manager. When the pressure comes, he turns it around. That’s the only way you know how good he is.”