Kobbie Mainoo has called on his Manchester United teammates to fight for head coach Michael Carrick “on and off the pitch” to repay the support the manager has shown the squad in recent weeks. The midfielder spoke on the eve of United's Champions League tie against Roma at Old Trafford.
Players urged to back under-pressure manager
Carrick has tried to shield the squad from criticism during a run of nine games without a victory, only losing his cool after a Champions League defeat to Como last month. Despite that, he has been let down by senior players in terms of performance and, at times, externally, with Lisandro Martinez critical of the club's hierarchy in one interview and Bruno Fernandes taking aim at Carrick's tactics in Como.
Mainoo missed that defeat and only returned from four games out with a cameo at Chelsea on Saturday, but the 21-year-old is set to return to the side against Roma on Tuesday. Asked if the players appreciate Carrick trying to shield them, Mainoo said: “Yeah, of course. I feel like our way to repay that is to also be behind the manager on the pitch and off it, and fight for us and fight for us as a team.”
Tough season and fan frustration
Mainoo acknowledged the difficulty of the campaign, saying: “It's been a tough season. We haven't had the results we wanted, but you know we need to look forward now. There are big, big games ahead, and I feel like we're one win away from changing that.” He added that he has been at the club for a long time and knows there will always be ups and downs, with bumps expected and the opportunity to bounce back from them.
Mainoo missed the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth in United's last game at Old Trafford, when the Stretford End turned on the players at full-time. The crowd had earlier unveiled a banner that read 'Standards'. Mainoo understands the frustration from supporters and, as a United fan and academy graduate, insists his teammates also understand what playing for the club means.
“In these tough times you can't expect the fans 100,000% of the time to be happy and cheering when we're not putting out results,” he said. “And we owe it to them to put the results out there for them to cheer again. United's a huge club, so I think a lot of people know the values that this club holds and that've been passed down through the people who've worked here and who've played here. I feel like I take some responsibility in that and in spreading the word of what is Manchester United, coming up through the academy. And I plan to send that message for as long as I can.”
Carrick's record and Mainoo's gratitude
Carrick is under significant scrutiny at Old Trafford after overseeing a start to the season that has produced just two wins in 13 games, while United are now nine without a victory, their worst run in all competitions since 1988. The 45-year-old oversaw a dramatic improvement in form when he replaced Ruben Amorim back in January, and part of that was built around restoring Mainoo to the side after the youngster had been cast aside by the Portuguese head coach.
Mainoo has plenty to thank Carrick for and believes he has improved as a player under his guidance. “I'm very grateful to the boss for putting the trust in me as soon as he came in, and putting that belief in me and giving me all the advice that he has,” he said. “Knowing he's a player who's been at this club and knows the history of this club and knows what it takes to win, I take those words to heart and I try and apply them every day in training and in games. I've tried to take on more responsibility in the team. I want to impose myself more in games and they've definitely helped to do that, giving me more responsibility with taking the ball. There's been ups and downs, but after continuing to try and again, I have belief in myself and like I say, impose myself on games even in these tough times.”
