Wayne Rooney has disagreed with Roy Keane's assessment over Manchester United's next manager - and doesn't want one 'risky' candidate to get the job.
United moved clear in third place in the Premier League table after Sunday's 3-1 win over Aston Villa.
They are now three points clear of Unai Emery's fourth-placed side, with Liverpool two points further back after their 1-1 draw against Tottenham.
Interim manager Michael Carrick is under contract until the end of the season after replacing Ruben Amorim, with his remit being to get United back into the Champions League.
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What happens beyond then is still unclear, but with every win, Carrick is surely increasing his chances of getting the job on a permanent basis.
Rooney has repeatedly backed his former United team-mate to get the job - and has now stated he believes the club should opt for Carrick over a 'risky' appointment such as ex-Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.
"Michael knows, he's been at that club, he was at that club for a long time. He knows what that takes," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"He's a good manager, I think he's shown that. He's shown everyone he has no problem managing at this level, the players have responded to him.
"So why would you change that? Why would you go and try to find someone who is a risk, like if you say De Zerbi, it's another one where you're going into it thinking, 'Could this be a risk?', and you take another backwards step if that doesn't work.
"For me, [Carrick] has to get it."
De Zerbi is among the leading candidates to take over at Old Trafford after leaving Marseille, but the reported acrimonious manner of his departure - coupled with the significant loss of form towards the end of his Brighton stint - could count against him.
Speaking on Sky Sports after United's 3-1 win, ex-United captain Keane - who left the club months before Carrick's arrival in the summer of 2006 - claimed that there are still 'far better options' to become the next manager.
"I think the games where he has come in, in terms of winning football matches, he's done a very good job," Keane stated. "He's simplified things.
"But there's been no jeopardy in those games. He's had a few weeks to prepare for the matches [with no European or cup football].
"It's been good timing for him to go in there. And he's done a very good job, I take my hat off to him. If he does get the job in the summer - listen, good luck to him.
"But I think there's far better options out there. If Carrick had been mentioned three months ago, you would have been locked up. He probably wouldn't have been the reckoning."
Topics: Wayne Rooney, Manchester United, Football, Premier League, Roy Keane, Michael Carrick
Ryan Smart