Michael Carrick, head coach of Manchester United, spoke to the media in the embargoed section of his pre-match press conference before his team’s opening Premier League fixture of the season against Hull City on Saturday lunchtime.
The opening question in this section focused on the absence of Casemiro, who left United in June after his contract expired. Carrick was asked whether he believes the gap left by the Brazilian can be covered by the new arrivals, with the possibility of a third midfield signing as well.
“I think all players have come and gone through history here and you’ve got to evolve, you’ve got to find ways of moving forward, you’ve got to find ways of winning essentially. And I know we’ve got a good midfield, we’ve brought in some really, really top players and really good characters, and we’ve got to evolve, and we’ve got to improve.”
He was then asked whether he feels “that third midfield signing is necessary before the end of the window?”
“As I said before, we’re trying to improve, we’re trying to improve the squad all the time, we’re working towards that,” he said. “I think largely we’ve got a really good balance within the group. As it stands now, we’ve got some very good, if not top midfielders to choose from, so I think we’ve improved that, as I said, since the start of the window till the end, and we’ll see what happens. We want to finish stronger as the window closes, and we’re working towards that.”
The next question put to Carrick was about what success would mean for him in his first full campaign as manager.
“We want to evolve as a team. We’ve got a lot of younger players in the group that we want to help them move forward individually, if collectively it will move us in a good direction. So I think that the experiences that they’ve had, the habit and getting used to feeling what it’s like to win a number of games is huge. It’s huge for players at this club to feel it and know what it takes. First of all, what you’ve got to put into it to get out the other end. And let’s see what we can achieve. We want to be finishing in the Champions League again, without doubt. That’s a challenge. It’s a big challenge.”
“There’s a lot of teams fighting for that position and we managed to do that last season. And we’ve got to aim to do the same and then keep pushing on, through the season to see how it develops. And we want to start strong, we want to get through the winter months, and we want to be strong, we want to fit, we want to finish strong. So it’s putting it all together and then see where we end up, but we’re going into it with a lot of encouragement this season.”
Journalist Jamie Jackson then asked the United manager whether, as a former top midfielder and now a coach, he still sees midfield as the most important area of a football side, especially in terms of winning matches.
Carrick replied: “I think it’s important. You could argue both ends of the pitch are, if not more important, but the midfield connects the whole team together and has a big say on how the team performs with, without the ball and the character and the personality of the team. I think there’s all components, like you’ve said, you’ve almost given the answer anyway when you asked, but both ends of the pitch is where games are won and lost, so that’s huge as well, obviously.”
Jackson followed up by asking: “Can anything be won without a very good midfield? As in a competition or even a game?”
“I think it gives you the foundation of the team,” said the Wallsend-born manager. “The foundation of the team is important to be consistent or to be consistent through one game from start to finish, to be consistent over a period of time. You need a solid foundation through the middle of the team and try and put it together and getting that balance. But certainly, if you look at all the top teams over the years, all the great teams over the years, the spine of a team is really strong. And so we’re conscious of that, and I think we’ve got a good spine of the team right now, and we can keep improving as we go in different ways and coaching and helping the boys and developing them, then I think we’re in a good place.”
Carrick was then asked about Marcus Rashford’s match fitness and what he is expecting from the forward this season.
“Yeah, he’s come back really well, very well. I think the way it is now, we’re not having so much time off really, and kind of looking at 3 weeks, maybe just under 3 weeks, give or take. Boys don’t lose an awful lot in that time. There’s certainly the case of managing it coming back in though and being sensible, knowing there’s a whole season for all the players to deal with. So in terms of team this week, going into next week as well, of getting that balance right with all the group. But Marcus has came back particularly bright, particularly sharp, as I’ve said, and looks really good.”
The manager was then asked whether any players had expressed a desire to leave before the transfer deadline.
He shook his head and said: “No.”
He was then asked if he therefore expects the current group to remain together at least until January.
“Yeah, listen, I don’t know what’s going to come out, you know, I don’t know what’s going to come at us from other … we can control what we can control. I’m really happy with the squad we’ve got so far, and if not, we want to improve it.”
Another reporter then referred back to Carrick’s first pre-season as a coach in 2018, describing it as eventful, and asked whether he took any lessons from that period. The question also pointed out that this pre-season, despite being a World Cup year and despite not having many players available, has seemed far more stable, calm and productive in terms of preparation.
The United boss answered: “Yeah, I’ve been really happy with the structure. It would have been nice to have more players back early, but at the same time it was nice to see some of the boys go for far in the World Cup as well. But yeah, certainly as a structure and as a flow and how the boys have come back, how they’ve trained, what this group looks like, I think we can be happy with a lot of that. We all know pre-season is one thing, and once we start the season, gets going, it’s a whole different storey, you know. So I think it just gives you the chance to— the foundation to be able to move. And we’ve got to take big steps as the season goes to move forward.”
Carrick was also asked about club captain Bruno Fernandes, specifically what his future at Manchester United looks like and whether he may need more rotation this season as he approaches 32 years of age.
“I’ve said quite a lot about Bruno, he’s been a big part of the team and the club over recent times and had a huge impact, so he’ll continue to do that,” Carrick said. “In terms of the games and how it comes, hopefully he stays fit and he’s in good shape. But yeah, there’s the element talking about the squad and the depth and as we go through the season and the waves and the momentum and keeping the boys in good form but keeping them fresh as well. So Bruno’s part of that, he’s a big player for us. He’s obviously our captain, but there’s still elements where we need to look after him.”
The final question centred on the transfer market for midfielders this summer, with several deals reaching €100 million. Carrick was asked for his view on the general rise in prices for midfield players and whether, given the fees United paid for Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, he feels the club may have secured them at a lower price than some of the other midfielders who have moved.
Carrick replied: “Well, there’s certainly players that have gone and been more expensive, I think that’s pretty obvious. We’re delighted with the two that we’ve brought in, I think, and for the money, of course, but actually take that away, I’m delighted that we’ve got them. Two fantastic players, give us really good balance, give us a lot within the team, offer us different things. So, but certainly, yeah, for the value that we feel we’ve got, I think we’ve done very well with them two especially.”
