MANCHESTER, England -- Michael Carrick will offer his advice on who should replace him in Manchester United's midfield if he is asked by Jose Mourinho.
Carrick made his final United appearance in the 1-0 win over Watford on Sunday, bringing to an end a 19-year playing career that included 12 seasons at Old Trafford.
The 36-year-old will not train this week and will instead be in his new coaching role for the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday.
Mourinho has made no secret of his desire to bring in another midfielder this summer, and Carrick said he will be happy to give his opinion if he is approached by the United boss.
"I don't have the final say at all," Carrick said. "That's part of being on the staff, to work with the manager to try to get what's best for the club, support as best I can. That will evolve, and when he wants my opinion, I'm there to give it."
Carrick won 12 major trophies after arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006. He joined the club seven months after Roy Keane's departure, inheriting his No. 16 shirt in the process.
And he insists if United can recover from losing Keane, someone else can fill his boots next season.
"We've lost big players in the past -- huge players, bigger than me -- and the club has moved on and still be successful," Carrick said. "I'm sure that will be the case again.
"I had the issue when I signed and it was all about Roy Keane, but I was never going to replace Roy Keane because it's not how I am. You've just got to evolve and find a way. There will be other players. There will be players here who will improve and progress, and if anyone gets brought in, whoever gets brought in, the club will move on."
Carrick -- who plans to seek advice from other players-turned-coaches like former teammate Ryan Giggs -- laughed off a suggestion he might be tempted back onto the pitch in the same way Paul Scholes performed a retirement U-turn in 2012.
The man of the match against Watford, the midfielder said his body has told him the time was right to pack it in -- as, on Sunday, he "felt miles away."
"I expected to, to be honest. I've trained every day but there's nothing like playing," he said. "I enjoyed the day. I wasn't expecting much from myself. I just wanted to help the lads."
Carrick eventually came off after 85 minutes when he was replaced by Paul Pogba.
"I was expecting to come off after 60 minutes," he said. "I think it was when Ash [Young] went off, I thought it was going to be then. Then Ash went off and Daley [Blind] went off and I thought, 'When is it going to happen for me?'
"It was an unbelievable reception when I came off. Special memories, things you cherish. I'm not sad about it. I've got other things to do. It was the final chance to cut the cloth clean. I'm kind of more excited about the future then looking back and being sad that it's over."
United's players and staff were given the day off on Monday before returning to Carrington on Tuesday to prepare for the trip to Wembley Stadium.
It will Carrick's first week as a full-time coach -- and possibly the first steps on the path to management.
"My role is going to evolve," he said. "It's getting used to the role. We will see what works and how we work best.
"I've done a bit of coaching, but it's with the younger age groups. I've done video work with some of the boys already. It's just getting the balance, really.
But Carrick is aware that his playing career doesn't mean his transition and coaching career will go smoothly.
"You've got to go step by step," he said. "I'm not getting carried away here. Just because I was a half-decent player, it doesn't guarantee you're going to be a success in whatever you do. I'm well aware of that.
"I'm not getting ahead of myself. The end game, maybe, if I get into it and I think I'd like to manage -- probably at this stage, my answer would be yes. But I'm not getting carried away. I don't want to be [telling everyone] I want to be a manager."