Michael Carrick gave a passionate five-minute and 36-second speech at his Manchester United press conference on Friday, acknowledging this season's poor results and vowing his side would "get it back." The 45-year-old addressed the media at Carrington before a single question was asked, a tactic reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson's occasional opening statements.
Carrick puffed his cheeks out as he sat down, leaned forward, and announced he would "start today." He declared he wanted to say "a few things" but delivered far more, admitting his team had "lost their way" while insisting they would recover.
Carrick's candid admission
"Just want to say a few things, really," Carrick said. "I think it's important. I think recently we haven't had a good time. I think that's pretty obvious. So, I totally accept that what we're going through at the moment, we had five months of relative success in a spell where I was happy with a lot of things that I was seeing and that we were doing as a team."
He referenced Wednesday's defeat, calling it "a bad night" that "hurt a lot" and was "really unacceptable." Carrick also spoke about the supporters, saying: "The supporters are a huge part of this football club. For me, to see the supporters after making the effort and the time, spending the money to come and support us on Wednesday, and having the feeling after the game, as we all felt, was a tough moment."
Carrick had previously approached the away section after losing against Como and apologised, showing sincerity in his comments about fans deserving more.
Club values and resilience
Carrick continued by discussing United's history and values, saying: "The foundation of this football club and the values of this football club have been put down and etched for many, many years. It comes down to humility, it comes down to being humble, it comes down to being hard-working and being really proud to work hard and being proud to live up to those values."
He highlighted the club's resilience, mentioning Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt, and Sir Bobby as examples of that spirit. "Manchester United is always bigger, and it always has been, always will be bigger than any single individual," he said.
Carrick acknowledged the current struggles: "At the moment, yeah, we're in a moment where it's not going well. So, we need to show exactly what it means and respect this football club, respect what it takes to be here, respect what it takes to win."
Response to Fernandes comments
The speech came two days after Bruno Fernandes told Sky Italia that United are too fixated on their past. "At this club, there's too much focus on what's been done in the past, but we're not those people anymore," Fernandes said. "The club and the players need to understand that. Unfortunately for us - especially when it comes to the players - those who join expect to win trophies, win games, and reach the highest level."
Carrick's speech appeared to be a deliberate response, urging his players, including his captain, to focus on the job at hand. It was a bold show of leadership amid speculation about his future. He said his customary goodbye at the end of the press conference, which could be his last at Carrington if United lose against Bournemouth tomorrow.
