Michael Carrick is taking part in Manchester United's planning for 2026-27, even as uncertainty shrouds his long-term future as the Red Devils' head coach.

Carrick has had a seismic impact on United's fortunes since returning for his second spell as their interim boss in January, following the sacking of Ruben Amorim.

Since the former midfielder took the reins on January 13, United have won seven, drawn two and lost one of their 10 Premier League matches.

Their 23 points collected in that time are the most in the Premier League, yet there has still been no announcement as to whether Carrick will remain in charge next season.

But Carrick was involved in the discussions that led to Harry Maguire signing a new one-year contract earlier this week, and ahead of Monday's clash with old rivals Leeds United, he said he will continue to participate in the club's long-term planning.

"Certainly, in the role I'm in, there are decisions that need taking care of," Carrick said. 

"I said it as soon as I came here; I'm part of that, and whatever that looks like moving forward, I'm part of it.

"I'm trying to improve things and make things better all the time. Certainly, there's conversations about different directions and different things that I'm part of.

"And I think it should be that way anyway, because things need to be done. So I'm here to take care of that."

United are third in the table ahead of facing Leeds, with the Opta supercomputer assigning them a 95.3% chance of a top-five finish.

It is now confirmed that a spot in the top five would be enough for Champions League qualification, and that additional breathing room has been welcomed at Old Trafford.

"It's great. It's where we want to be, first and foremost, not so much for the other teams, but it is important," Carrick said. "The more opportunities we have for that, the better. 

"We would obviously like to finish as high up the league as we possibly can, and to have so many English teams involved in that competition, pushing, it then benefits other teams in the league.

"But overall, we get quite selfish when it comes to things like that. It is where we want to be for ourselves, more than anything."