Sir Jim Ratcliffe and at least one member of the Glazer family visited Manchester United's Carrington training base on Thursday to support interim manager Michael Carrick ahead of Saturday's derby against Manchester City.
United's executive committee meeting, originally scheduled elsewhere, was moved to the training ground so that Ratcliffe and the Glazers—along with chief executive Omar Berrada and financial officer Roger Bell—could speak with Carrick before his first game in his second caretaker spell.
Carrick, who led his first training session on Wednesday, expressed his enthusiasm for the Manchester derby. 'The big games, the important games, are what we all live for,' he told United's in-house media. With the club seventh in the Premier League and only European qualification left to play for, Carrick remains confident in his squad's quality.
Meanwhile, defender Lisandro Martínez revealed that he considered retiring after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury last February. 'After the first two or three weeks, to tell you the truth, I didn't want to play football any more,' he told AFA Estudio. The 27-year-old described the struggle but credited support from family, physios and a psychologist for his recovery.
Martínez, who returned from the serious knee injury in late November, now says he feels 'physically and mentally better than ever'. He emphasised the importance of perseverance, stating, 'In the face of adversity, that's when you show your true personality.'
