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Wes Brown has hinted that Michael Carrick might reverse his day off policy if Manchester United stop winning.

Following his appointment as United's head coach in January, Carrick scrapped Ruben Amorim's rule by granting players an extra day off after matches. Carrick has instead approved designated rest days within 24 hours of a fixture, with recovery sessions rescheduled to take place two days after the final whistle instead.

The move has been well-received by the squad, who have enjoyed being able to briefly savour a good win before getting back down to business with an added sense of purpose.

It's one of several changes Carrick has made since returning to Old Trafford, with 44-year-old making quite the impact, winning six and drawing one of his first seven matches. That run has helped propel United up to third in the Premier League table, above fourth-place Aston Villa on goal difference and three points ahead of Liverpool in fifth.

When asked about Carrick's start to life back at United and the change to the players' days off, Brown believes it has resonated positively with the players - but warned that a defeat or two could spell the end for that rule.

Brown, speaking with Bet MGM, said: "For whatever reason, he's (Carrick) done it that way. For me, I think it's a respect thing. I'm guessing if they weren't winning, I don't think that would be happening, first of all.

"But it's like a little extra bonus, if that's how you want to put it. And I think it's something that can work in football, as long as it's done in the right way. You can get a reaction like we have at Manchester United.

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"It's a tough old season, in the sense that there's many games. But if you look when Michael's came in, we've just got the Premier League now. There's lots of other teams that are still in other competitions and I don't think that extra day will do anyone any harm."

Given Carrick's remarkable start back at United, speculation has emerged suggesting he leads the race to become Amorim's permanent, long-term replacement come summer.

When questioned whether Carrick deserves the position permanently, Brown responded: "Well, first of all, he's definitely put his name very high up that list, if there's still a list. Sometimes I always say, why change if it's working?

"I think we all thought, we all knew it was going to be a difficult job. There's lots of pressure on this job. The one thing I will say is it's his second time in. He would have made a few mistakes the first time. And then mistakes he would have made, he's obviously trying to get them right this time.

"But he had a great spell at Middlesbrough. People will say it wasn't the Premier League, but with the team he had, very young players, he still did a very good job. The only thing I would say is, if he didn't get the job, you're bringing someone in new again. Everything changes in the sense that the staff change. No one really knows the manager.

"So obviously that can still happen, but Michael's definitely got himself as one of the front-runners. You can't dismiss that in any way with the way he's been playing."

United face Newcastle United next on Wednesday evening. The Reds are aiming to stretch their unbeaten streak to 12 matches in the Premier League whilst delivering another significant boost to their top-four ambitions.

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