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Michael Carrick has spoken in the embargo portion of the press conference ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
Click here to view the first part of the press.
Carrick’s hope for a permanent job
The first question was:
“It’s been three games so far, three wins, a flying start, the Manage the Month nomination you’ve had today. Has what’s happened in these first few games changed in any way the way you think about what happens at the end of the season? Have you had anything in your conversations with the club at all? And has it made you want to try and see if there’s ever a chance of having this job full-time?”
Carrick replied:
“Nothing has changed, no, to be honest. It won’t change what I do or how I think about it. I think I’m fully aware of the role I play here and the responsibility I have. We want to be successful. I want the club to continue to be successful beyond the end of the season. If that’s me, if that’s anyone else at this stage, I have no control over that. And we’ll see what happens.”
“But it’s certainly about trying to improve the team and make Manchester United stronger and better and better. But nothing has changed. The results in a short period of time don’t change that. If they’ve changed that, something is wrong. It can’t be that obvious anyway, whether it’s really good or whether there are a few issues that we need to solve. It’s actually steady progress. You know football can twist and turn just as quickly. So we’ve got to level up a bit, really, and keep focusing on what we have to do.
“But if this continues, would you be happy to have your name part of that conversation?” he was asked.
“Listen, I love what I do,” he beamed. “I’m here, you know. I feel at home here, but I completely understand the situation. So I don’t get too carried away.”
Keeping players happy
The next reporter asked:
“How big is the demand management challenge for you since you’ve come back here? Because when you were here before it was only a short period. Middlesbrough in the Championship, it’s games every three days, right? Here you haven’t had many games and it’s clear that everyone wants to play. There’s not enough games in this team. You look at the likes of Ben, who has impressed from the bench. Do you always feel an obligation to give someone like that a start and they’ve impressed from the bench? How hard has it been to talk to players and keep them happy when there just aren’t enough games?
“Yeah, listen, picking teams is the hardest part,” Carrick admitted. “You can’t escape that and decide who plays and who doesn’t start. But the nice thing, and it’s probably obvious in a lot of ways, but the impact we’ve had as a team throughout the whole game, guys starting games, guys finishing games, it’s been incredible, to be honest, for that spirit.”
“It’s not easy. Sometimes you’re disappointed when you don’t play. But every game we’ve had a real impact in finishing the game and whoever’s been on the pitch. And I think that speaks volumes about the mentality of the boys and the attitude that they’ve shown. And that’s something that we have to maintain. I couldn’t have been happier for Ben the other day. I spoke about it after the game, it was a massive moment for him and he absolutely deserves it for all those reasons. And the work he’s doing. He’s really impressive since I’ve been here. So there’s a lot more in store for Ben, whether that’s this week, next week or the week after, that’s just part of this team and growing together.”
“But choosing the team is definitely the hardest part. But the guys have been fantastic and haven’t given me any problems at all.”
Dorgu’s absence
Does Carrick have a timetable for Patrick Dorgu’s return?
“Not exactly, no. We are working on it. It will certainly take a number of weeks, but it will be a significant period of time. He won’t be back for another two or three weeks. But to be more precise is a bit difficult at the moment.”
The reporter asked, “There is speculation about ten weeks. Could it take that long, do you think?”
“It could be possible,” Carrick confirmed. “Like I said, we’re working through it. I’m certainly looking forward to getting him back as soon as possible and on the field long before the end of the season.”
The reporter continued: “He’s done a great job under you, honestly, he really picked up momentum in the weeks before you came. How much of a blow is it personally and as a team to lose him?”
The boss replied:
“Yes, it’s a blow. Listen, it’s always a blow when you lose players, and they can’t be involved and we can’t pick them. And especially when you’ve had an impact like Patrick did in the last few weeks and you’re just finding that next level. And unfortunately, football messes up the ups and downs.”
“For this short period, he’s disappointed. He wants to be fit, but his career – he’ll have a career for the next 10 or 15 years. And hopefully this is just a small moment for him. Given the huge positive and the huge impact he just had, I think when he comes back he will be even stronger.”
Why did he bring in Steve Holland?
He was then asked: “Can I just ask about Steve Holland and where the idea for that appointment came from and also how important he has been to what you do on the training pitch and also to the range of results you have achieved?”
“I think as the conversations progressed, when it looked like I was going to come here, I spent some time thinking about what the staff might look like,” he explained. “I was actually talking and having conversations with my brother, as I do all the time, about what it might look like. We ended up mentioning Steve. He knew him from the FA, and I had bumped into Steve a number of times. I was fully aware of his experience and his quality as a coach, but also as a person. So it ticked a lot of boxes, and it went from there. I spoke to Steve and we hit it off straight away. As did the rest of the staff, to be honest, with Jonathan, Johnny and Travis and Craig, I think there has been a very good balance and a good bond between us and it feels like we have been together for much longer than just these three weeks.
Is there an agreement with the Netherlands because they both worked under José Mourinho?
The Wallsend man replied:
“I think it’s more about the experience in general, at the level that he’s had a lot of experience with so many people in different scenarios. He’s obviously been at Chelsea for so long. It obviously helps to grow up here as a huge United fan. But being at Chelsea and being successful, winning trophies, knowing what it takes, different styles, different managers, different types of players. He’s got a really good knowledge and backstory, really, if you like, experience to pick from and we talk a lot about different players.” things, all of us, all the staff.”
“So there’s the connection. Obviously, José, I learned a lot from José in the five months that I coached, even in that, when you see how he works, how he thinks and how he sees players and things that end up working out the way he predicted at certain times. So he had a very good eye for that. So there’s definitely a connection. I wouldn’t say it’s completely me and Steve with José, but they’re definitely there. They’re common factors that definitely help us work together.”
About Kobbie Mainoo and the midfield
A reporter then asked:
“Kobbie has been a big winner when you came here. Obviously he didn’t have many opportunities before. I didn’t expect you to necessarily talk about that. But what did you see in him that convinced you to throw him in straight away from a starting role? And you’ve also said several times: you know this club, you know what it’s about. Youth academy players have always, since the Munich plane crash, always been a big part of this club. Is he the player that this club has been around for a long time? term, can build around it for many years into the future, possibly even beyond you?
“It was just my thoughts to put him on the team,” Carrick replied. “I thought he would give us an awful lot. I think from the club’s perspective it’s an ideal scenario to bring players through the academy and have them in the team and have them go through their careers at this club and stay in and around the club. I think I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of players who have made that happen. I think it’s important.”
“Obviously with Munich and the establishment of the football club, everything depends on that. So I’m not putting everything on Kobbie’s shoulders. He’s doing great at the moment and I’m sure he will continue to do so. We want more of that. We want more players to come through the system and into the first team. For me there is no better feeling to give younger players a chance. He has seized that opportunity in recent weeks, and as I said, I’m sure he will continue to do so.”
The last question was about the lack of midfielders in the first team squad. If necessary, would he like to promote “an academy player or other players? We’ve seen Lisandro play in midfield this season, maybe Mason Mount. How would you handle that situation?”
The former Englishman replied:
“Yes, anything can happen. So it’s not a one-off solution. I think overall we have a very good balance within a squad. So there are plenty of solutions for us. Mainoo is clearly on his way and he will be a big part of our squad and our team and share the burden between now and the end of the season. We have different things we can do. It just depends on what happens. We have to be able to adapt and be flexible. But I am confident that we can find the right solutions if that is necessary. But at the moment we are reasonably stable and in good shape.”
Tomorrow’s match starts at 12:30 PM.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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