Michael Carrick has insisted he is not feeling added pressure from Manchester United’s poor start to the Premier League season, while confirming that Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo will miss Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Atletico Madrid. United were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Tottenham, who played with 10 men, on Saturday and have collected only six points from their opening six Premier League games, their worst start to a league season since 1986-87.
Bryan Mbeumo had appeared to put Carrick’s side on course for victory at Old Trafford, only for Dominic Solanke to equalise late for Tottenham after Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card. The draw extended a troubling opening to the campaign and came after a performance in which United were second best for long spells, relying on Tottenham’s wastefulness in the final third.
The result and the display increased scrutiny on Carrick in his first season as permanent manager, following an impressive interim spell last term.
Speaking before Tuesday’s Champions League game, Carrick confirmed the absence of Shaw and Mainoo. “They’ve not travelled, both picked up issues in the game at the weekend so they’re out,” he said.
Carrick, however, rejected the idea that the seemingly mounting external pressure had left him feeling any additional burden. “Depends how you define pressure. We know what we want and what we expect,” he said. “That comes from us. I know what it looks like, I don’t feel the pressure from that, I want to win and succeed. There’s no negativity, we’re embracing the challenge.”
He added: “There’s going to be times when it’s a struggle and if you can’t do something difficult and get through it you’re not going to succeed. It’s fine lines. We didn’t start well the other day. The late goals we’ve conceded have all be avoidable but it’s fine margins.”
Asked whether he was surprised by how quickly things had gone wrong, Carrick replied: “We expected a lot more. I knew there was going to be a period where it became stickier. That’s part of it. It’s a journey, there will have been times when it’s not gone to plan for Atletico, they’ve had success but it hasn’t all been in one direction. I understand people thinking it’s a disaster but that’s not in our mindset. You’ve got to be able to deal with it.”
“The last three goals we’ve conceded we could have done something about them. That can be the difference. I love this part when it’s going against you. The fans are there and we’ve got to give them something. We will come through it,” he continued. “They [the players] care. We’re here to test ourselves. If you don’t want to dig deep it’s not the place for you. I’ve seen it behind closed doors and in the changing rooms. It’s a big week, two tough games but we’re looking forward to them. We’ll come out fighting.”
On striker Benjamin Sesko, who has not featured since the EFL Cup defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on September 16 because of a shin issue, Carrick said: “We’re still waiting for a few extra tests. We need to be on top of it. We haven’t got a timeframe [for his return].”
United travel to Leeds United on Sunday for another demanding league fixture, making the injuries to left back Shaw and midfielder Mainoo far from ideal during a difficult week.
Carrick’s side now face Atletico Madrid on Tuesday and Leeds United on Sunday. With Shaw and Mainoo out and Sesko’s return still unclear, the manager’s insistence that United will come out fighting will be tested quickly.
