Man United vs Tottenham facts: Michael Carrick interviewed Thomas Frank, now a rival

JAKARTA - Michael Carrick now finds himself facing Thomas Frank as a rival when Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

In fact, the former England national team midfielder interviewed the Tottenham Hotspur manager five months ago ahead of Frank's first Champions League match when Spurs faced Villarreal on September 16, 2025.

At the time, Carrick was acting as a pundit on Prime Video who was over-seeing the Champions League match.

However, now the situation is different. Carrick - who is now Manchester United's interim manager - meets again with Frank who is now his rival.

He faces Spurs looking to extend his winning streak to four. The 44-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic start to his tenure at the Red Devils for the rest of the season.

He won against Manchester City, Arsenal, and Fulham in his first three matches. Spurs - the club Carrick played for from 2004 to 2006 - will be the next test.

"Yes, (life) can indeed change. Actually I really enjoyed it. We are close. This is the first time I met him in person and we chatted at length about general things about football."

"A little bit about the process and the idea, but he was very accommodating. I enjoyed it, so it will be fun to meet him again," he recalled interviewing Frank in September 2025.

Meanwhile, Frank joined Spurs last summer after an impressive performance at Brentford, but his position was under great pressure during a bad start in 2026.

However, there has been a slight upturn in form recently, with a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City last weekend as part of a four-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

Seeing that record, Carrick feels challenged to continue Manchester United's positive results.

"They certainly present a challenge. I think you can see especially the way they finished the game a few days ago."

"They have players who are injured and in and out, and a lot of changes to the team, which makes things a lot more challenging, a lot more difficult from their perspective. However, they are getting their players back."

"They have a very good striker, who tries to stretch the back line and play forward and attack the penalty area very often. That is something we must certainly be aware of."

"A slightly different game than we might have played the last few weeks in some ways, but we're looking forward to it."

"We are in a good position and the players have worked well again this week. Again, stay humble, don't get carried away with what has happened."

"It's about what's next, so a big challenge ahead, but we're looking forward to it," Carrick said.

Tottenham won all four meetings against Manchester United last season, including the important but dull Europa League final in Bilbao in May 2025.

Carrick hopes to end the losing streak when facing the team he once played for for two seasons before moving to Old Trafford for a transfer fee of 18.6 million pounds in 2006.

"It (falling in love with Manchester United) happened almost instantly. I have wonderful memories of Tottenham and being at that club."

"I was only there for a short time in retrospect, but I really enjoyed it. A good team, Martin Jol was the manager and I learned a lot at the club in that short time."

"However, I have said it often enough, coming here (Old Trafford) was a leap and a big leap at the time."

"I certainly felt it quite quickly and then I think once you step into this place as a footballer, it changes you."

"So, almost from the first day I walked into the dressing room and met the manager, from then on I've been here," Carrick said.