Michael Carrick did not discuss the Manchester United fans' reaction to the players with his squad after they were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
The Stretford End chanted for Carrick as he made his way around the pitch to thank the supporters, but as the head coach made his way down the tunnel, they turned on the players, booing them off after a second thrashing in a week.
Carrick heard the reaction from the tunnel and although he spoke to some individual players after the game, he said it was not a topic he was going to discuss as a group in the dressing room, but stressed his players were hurting at a dismal run of eight games without a victory.
Mixed emotions in the dressing room
"No, it's not a thing to discuss in the changing room after the game too much, to be honest," he said. "There's a lot of emotion in the changing room right now, there's a lot of disappointment, there's a lot of the boys quite hurt, to be fair, disappointed with the situation. It's not like they don't care, or they want to be in this position. You know, this is the position we all find ourselves in."
"The ones I've spoken to - I've not spoken to everyone individually, the ones I have spoken to, it's affecting them a lot, as you can see really with the performance, how much it's not gone our way, and we've not made it go our way."
"There's only so much really, because just because of the way the game ended, the atmosphere in the stadium, the dynamics, and trying to almost spend some time trying to digest that and see what that means."
Support for Carrick, criticism for others
Carrick received unwavering support during the game, but as well as the players being booed off, there were critical chants aimed at the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, as well as director of football Jason Wilcox.
"I have to say really mixed emotions," said Carrick. "Probably didn't really expect that off the supporters, if I'm honest, but I've always felt the support and always felt that connection with them anyway."
"Probably sick of me saying all the time, of the amount of times I've sat here and said it, of the respect that I have for them and for them to kind of show that back meant an awful lot."
"But it's still to be in such a difficult situation and go through a day like we have done, in a spell like we have done, is certainly difficult to take. So there's real mixed emotions in there for sure."
Wilcox and Berrada silent
Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada took plenty of criticism during the game but they remain silent, with Wilcox never giving an external interview during his time at the club, while Berrada has not spoken to external media since March 2025 when plans for a new stadium were announced.
Carrick was asked during his post-match media duties whether it was time for those above him to start speaking to supporters directly.
"It's not for me to say who speaks, who doesn't speak, when they speak, and how they speak," he said. "I know my role here to speak to you guys and represent the team and the football club as best as I possibly can from this position."
"As I said about the atmosphere in the stadium and the feelings, supporters, the frustration, the disappointment, it gives me really mixed feelings, you know, standing there and being in that position. It was a difficult day, for sure."
