Every word from Michael Carrick’s press conference after 3-1 Aston Villa win | OneFootball

Manchester United caretaker boss Michael Carrick has made it clear to INEOS and the football leadership group that the club cannot afford to lose Bruno Fernandes this summer.

Fernandes masterclass

Fernandes produced a dazzling performance to help United to a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

Casemiro broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute but the lead was wiped out when Ross Barkley took advantage of some poor defending from United to make it 1-1.

But Fernandes took control. He pulled United back into the game with a sublime assist for Matheus Cunha, who made no mistake in restoring the lead.

Benjamin Sesko came on from the bench and scored a third to ensure there were no doubts about where the three points were headed.

Carrick spoke to reporters after the final whistle and gave his verdict on the result, the importance of Fernandes and Casemiro and United’s prowess in set-pieces.

Carrick’s press conference

Carrick said in his presser, “Bruno has done it for a long period of time now, in the big moments and making the difference, whether he is scoring or creating – he is normally around it.”

“Two very different goals. Obviously, today, I thought he had a really good understanding with Case. They’ve been working with Jonny [Evans] on set plays and different things and spaces and whatnot. There’s a little bit you can coach and there’s a little bit of the players and their understanding. They’ve got a great connection and they’ve done it a few times before, so that was good.”

“And then obviously the passing around and getting into positions where he can play the final pass, it was one we’ve seen before. And then he plays Ben in as well. So, yeah, there’s not a lot else to say that I haven’t sat here and said before about Bruno. But I thought he was really good and I thought it was a good team performance as well.”

Asked whether Fernandes can break the Premier League assist record (20 assists) held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne, Carrick answered, “Yeah, maybe. Maybe. I don’t think it’s something he’ll go chasing for. It’s something that will happen naturally anyway. But if he does, then he’s obviously created goals for us, so I’ll be happy with that.”

Carrick was asked whether there’s any chance United could make a U-turn and keep Casemiro for at least one more year.

The 44-year-old coach answered, “In some ways it’s difficult to say. When something is decided in some ways…the fact that it was decided makes it a little bit easier. Everyone understands the situation really. I think the impact he’s had has been terrific since I’ve been here and working with him. His influence within the team and big moments in goals.”

“I think it was a nice moment at the end there with supporters and having that connection and respect. So I think that was a nice moment and he’ll enjoy that one.”

On Leny Yoro, Carrick remarked, “I’ve been really impressed with Leny. I think he’s still so young and he’s a centre-back at that age playing in the league for a club like this…it takes a lot of understanding, composure, being able to cope and I think his personality and his character, he takes it into stride and I’ve been really impressed with him.”

“I think there’s loads and loads to come and more layers from him but I think that will come naturally over a period of time as he learns and with experience, but he’s already played a good number of games here and he’s gained experience already. At the age that he’s at, he’s doing really well. He’s come to the team and you can see him growing in confidence and just getting back into the flow of playing again and playing in a back-four, which is slightly different for him.”

“I’m really pleased with him. Training well and playing well. He’s a pleasure to have. He’s desperate to learn and does a lot of work with Jonny and Woody [Woodgate]. He’s keen and he always wants more, which is a great sign.”

Carrick was asked about the backing he has received from Wayne Rooney to be named permanent head coach, as well as the types of conversations he has had with the hierarchy about this.

He explained, “It’s not that much noise, is it? It’s only noise if you listen to it.”

“It doesn’t affect me one bit to be honest. I’m in this position at the moment, doing the best I can. Loving it obviously and pushing for more. We want to make the team as good as we can and we want to improve everything. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen, but in terms of conversations, we got on great.”

“Just seen Omar [Berrada] and Jason [Wilcox] downstairs there and we’ve had a chat about the game and how it’s gone. All pretty open. It’s all pretty calm, to be honest. Today was a good win for us, so we can definitely enjoy the win today and look forward to Friday night. But other than that, that’s all I’m thinking about really.”

On how United can replace a player like Casemiro, Carrick said, “This is totally no disrespect. I think Case has been fantastic.He’s been a big player for us and important in the dressing room and one that I’ve spoken to and connected with really well.”

“But as a club and a team, players come and go. Some are bigger and more important than others at different times. I don’t think it’s ever really about replacing him like for like. You can go in different directions and understand the balance that the squad will need, whether on the pitch or off the pitch, leadership, positionally. There’s several things that go into it. Case has done some really good things, certainly since I’ve been here. He’s been an absolute pleasure to work with.”

On Fernandes’ future and the chance of him leaving in the summer, Carrick stated, “In terms of the club and moving forward, it’s difficult for me to get involved in too much of that. Bruno is definitely not someone we want to lose, I can say that.”

“But I can’t really…what the summer and beyond that, it’s difficult for me to really go too far with that. But certainly, he’s important to us and definitely not one we would want to lose”

On United’s set-pieces and how much time is spent practising them, Carrick revealed, “It depends really. It’s a funny thing because sometimes you score goals and everyone thinks you’ve been training in set-plays all week or you’ve been working on a certain thing all week.”

“Sometimes we don’t always necessarily work on it, but there’s certainly the meetings and the understanding. Maybe it’s not always time on the pitch, but Jonny spends a lot of time [crafting the plays]. And then giving the players a lot of responsibility as well and what they feel and prefer to do, I feel is also important. At the end of the day they’re the ones that take that action on and the experience that they’ve got in and around that, we rely on them as well. So Jonny is doing great with all that and working with the players.”

“As I said, Bruno and Case have that understanding and Harry [Maguire] is a big threat inside the box for us as well. It’s proved to be successful for us in recent games and we need to try and keep pushing for that.”

Carrick added on Fernandes, “I don’t know [whether anyone is playing better than Fernandes in the Premier League currently]. Difficult for me to say really. He’s important for us. He’s playing in positions now where we need to find him and we need to supply him as much as we can for him to try and make the difference.”

“But listen, it’s not just about Bruno. He’s had some really important moments recently and the long time he’s been here but I think as a team, there’s an importance to share the responsibility so it’s not just on one player. It then makes everyone’s job a little easier, so he’s not taking everything on himself, which he should and he doesn’t for us.

United are next in action on Friday when they face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Feature image Lewis Storey via Getty Images

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