Michael Carrick delivered a passionate message to his Manchester United squad on Sunday morning, focusing on the history of the fixture with Leeds and what the game means to supporters, ahead of the 1-1 draw at Elland Road.
The United interim manager gave his players a history lesson about the importance of the match, particularly at Elland Road, where United crossed the Pennines into hostile territory. The message helped produce a battling display, with United matching the aggression and intensity of Daniel Farke's side.
Carrick's pre-match message
Speaking after the game, Carrick revealed what he told his players: "I spoke to the boys this morning a little bit about what the game is, the history and what it means to the supporters, to the football club, to us coming over here into the territory, to kind of what it takes to win here and get a result."
He added: "I think there was definitely that commitment there. It had to be there today. I said it to you the other day. I didn't doubt that, I could feel it."
Response to Madrid defeat
The performance came amid fallout from Tuesday's defeat in Madrid, with Carrick noting the squad's response: "The last couple of days has been as good around the group and the feeling in the way the boys have gone about it as we've had for quite some time really, and I was looking forward to the game today to see that."
While the game lacked moments of quality, Carrick acknowledged it was not a perfect display: "It wasn't a perfect performance, it wasn't our most unbelievable performance, but there was definitely a lot in there that you can show how together the group were and how determined they were to get something today."
