Carrick Calls Manchester United Pressure Talk ‘Ridiculous’ After Poor Start

Michael Carrick has dismissed any talk of early pressure on his Manchester United job as “ridiculous” after a difficult opening stretch that has included successive home losses to Manchester City and Brighton.

Carrick rejects questions over his future

United have won only two of their first six matches in all competitions, but Carrick insisted that a short run of poor results has not changed his focus at Old Trafford.

• Carrick was appointed permanently after winning 12 of 17 games while in interim charge last season.
• United have suffered back-to-back defeats at home to City and Brighton.
• The latest setback came on Wednesday, when United surrendered a two-goal advantage and lost 3-2 to Brighton in the Carabao Cup.

Asked whether his position could already be at risk, Carrick said it would take far more than “one or two games of results” for such thoughts to enter his mind.

“I’m not thinking, ‘How long have I got?’” he said. “It’s ridiculous to think that way in a position that I’m in. That’s just not on the radar.

“It’s two or three games where we haven’t got the results we wanted, and that is two or three too many because I hate losing. But it does not mean the world caves in.”

United boss challenges emotion criticism

Carrick also pushed back when questioned about whether supporters want to see more visible emotion from him after defeats, both in interviews and on the touchline.

“I need to show more emotion?” he said. “In what way? What do you want me to show?

“We don’t enjoy losing games. It is not that I do not feel the emotion of losing, but it does not change how I think about what we need to do next.”

Responsibility accepted after Brighton collapse

The United head coach took responsibility immediately after the Brighton defeat and reiterated that he will not look publicly for excuses or individual scapegoats.

• Carrick said accountability for results sits with him.
• He said the club must concentrate on solutions rather than assigning blame.
• He described improvement as a collective task involving players, staff, owners and supporters.

“That’s why I’m here,” Carrick said. “It’s my responsibility and I’m fine with it. It is not a blame game.

“People search for things to point at, someone or something to blame, and sometimes that becomes too big a thing. Blame me, no problem. I’ll take the responsibility.

“It is about finding solutions and getting better as a whole football club. I know where we want to get to, and we want to get there quickly.”