Every word of Michael Carrick’s Aston Villa embargoed press conference | OneFootball

Manchester United caretaker boss Michael Carrick spoke to reporters in the embargoed section of the Aston Villa pre-match press conference.

Here is what he had to say ahead of the contest:

Biggest excitement points

Carrick was asked what aspect of the squad excites him the most on his way to work every morning.

He answered,”Different things, really. I think the amount of ability within the squad, [in] different ways. I think the enthusiasm and the attitude of the players, willing to learn and working together, I think that really excites me. There’s a lot there for us to all to work with and develop.”

“So, it’s a really good place to do that. So, as much as the ability and the talent and the capabilities, technically, I think to have the other side of it and the willingness to be part of the team is really encouraging as well. We understand what we feel, we understand what we’re good at, what the players individually are good at, keep trying to prove that and make the strengths even stronger, but certainly then as a team, what we need to improve on.”

“And as I said, the boys are so keen and hungry to learn and improve, and you feel that every single day, which is again really encouraging. We’re going to hopefully win games, maybe there’s games when it doesn’t quite go to plan, but that doesn’t really change the idea of trying to improve over a period of time, and they’re a really fantastic group to work with.”

Project 150

Carrick was asked about Project 150 – United’s ambition to mark the club’s 150th anniversary in 2028 by winning the men’s and women’s league titles.

Asked whether this is a realistic target, Carrick replied, “You’ve got to take it step by step. I think certainly we want to keep improving and we want to keep moving up the table. I’ve said that, I’ve sat here and said that before. I mean, at the moment, you know, being around where we are, it’s an exciting time because we’ve got something to play for.”

“We would love to be playing for something a little bit more, that little bit higher, and really challenging for leagues. There’s no way you can just say it’s going to happen and assume it’s going to happen. There’s a lot of work that needs to go into that and a lot of things that need to be put in place to achieve that.”

“It’s tough to win the Premier League and we understand that, but certainly, we’re definitely working towards it. We feel that’s where we want to be. We have been in the past and we want to get there again, but it’s certainly just not straightforward and I think we all understand that. But we’re certainly hungry to do it, yeah.”

Jadon Sancho

One reporter asked Carrick about Sancho, currently on loan at Villa, and how to get the best out of the forward.

Carrick said, “From what I’ve seen, I think his in and around the box [work], his ball carrying, his little plays, connections, his creativity in and around the box. I think the way he handles the ball, he’s got natural ability. I think he’s always had it, all the way coming through.”

“So, that’s one part of football, you know, there’s a lot of players with different bits of ability, but certainly from seeing Jadon close up, technically, he’s got an awful lot of ability and that’s hence the clubs he’s played for and the level that he’s played.”

Pressed on whether competition for places played a role in Sancho’s United struggles, Carrick explained, “I think part of playing at a top club and a big club is establishing yourself regardless, and I’m not talking about Jadon individually on this. I think whoever signs for this club, you’ve got to then play well enough, earn your right to play in the team. It’s not a given, just because you end up having a run in the team, to then find your way through it.”

“And this is not about Jadon, trust me. It’s not an individual thing, it’s just that’s how it is, that’s how it should be. So, you can’t just assume that it’s all going to be smooth. It’s proven that it’s not always like that. So, you’ve got to find a way through it and if you’re playing with a good team, with good players and a good squad and depth, then that’s just part of the challenge that you’ve got to live up to stay at the top.”

“And that’s how it should be, you know, if you want to be challenging and then you want to be pushing each other and you want a squad to do that, then you’ve got to have a lot of good players that are all wanting to play.”

Champions League qualification

Fifth place could be enough to secure Champions League football next season, but this week’s poor results for Premier League clubs in Europe have put that extra spot in jeopardy.

On whether he is pushing his players to make the top four their priority, Carrick said, “No, it’s literally game by game really and trying to win. Sounds an obvious answer, but you can’t plan for whether you finish fourth or fifth, really. You go into the next game, going, ‘We’re all in on this game, what do we need to do to try and win it?’ And yeah, so it’s not in the mindset of what’s going to be enough.”

“It’s what do we need to do next week, what do we need to do next Friday, what do we need to build on that? And it’s not something you can plan for really, is what I’m getting at, and we just need to be [using] everything we’ve got, foot fully flat down on the floor and approach each game like that. There’s no other way.”

“So, listen, it might change, it might not. There’s going to have to be quite a big swing for it to not be fifth, but ultimately that’s not something we can control, you know, and ideally, we’d like to be fighting above that anyway. So, if we keep our heads really positive and focus on the next game and focus on where we can achieve and try and move up the table, it’s a lot better place to have that mindset for.”

Reaction to setbacks

Last week’s defeat to Newcastle was the first under Carrick since he was named Ruben Amorim’s temporary replacement in January.

Asked whether he learns more about the squad and the players’ mentality during such moments, Carrick remarked, “I think you’re always learning. I think you always learn. There are different types of setbacks, you know. There’s been games where we conceded goals, we were 2-0 up, back to 2-2 and we had that big setback, and we found a winner. So, there’s always times through games and through the run of the week, it’s not just suddenly, all of a sudden, everything’s been perfect and then all of a sudden it’s come crashing down, so there’s constant.”

“It’s a defeat, we don’t like defeats, we don’t like them at all and we want to win every game, but there’s definitely putting things into perspective a little bit in it. And the boys have responded really well. They were disappointed after the game, as you’d expect. We were all disappointed. But we’re not making more of it than needs to be made as well and getting that balance right because we’re a good team when we do the right things and we’ve got really good players.”

“We’ve proved that recently and we need to keep proving that.”

More training time

One journalist asked Carrick whether the increased time on the training ground gets a bit boring.

He answered, “No, I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I don’t think so. Listen, coming into work here every day is a joy anyway, so we can’t complain about that.”

The journalist jokingly asked whether Carrick would prefer United to be out of all the cup competitions each season.

The 44-year-old coach said, “I didn’t say that [laughs]. No, it is what it is, right? So, we’ve got to make the most of it, and training, it’s certainly not boring. Coming in here every day, there’s a joy about it anyway, but of course we’d like to be playing more games and challenging and fighting at the thick end of it to try and win a trophy at this stage.”

“But that just is what it is and we’ve got to accept that. But it’s working, in the training weeks and it’s partly the coaching and the staff, and then mixing things up a little bit and getting what we need and getting that rhythm as well. And that’s part of the challenge anyway, whether you’re a coach or a player.”

On whether United lose a bit of edge due to bigger gaps between competitive fixtures, Carrick said, “It just depends how you look at it, you know, with different arguments of not playing games can help you prepare better for the next game, and then not playing games can knock you out your rhythm, so you’re not in your rhythm.”

“It’s like anything, you can look at it from all sorts of angles. We’ve just got to use it for what we can and use it to prepare well and be ready. We’re not playing as many games as some. That’s just how it is, accept it and make the best of it.”

United vs. Villa kicks off at 2pm.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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