Manchester United travel west to Fulham on Sunday with Michael Carrick urging calm rather than panic after a turbulent opening to the campaign. The 45-year-old has accepted responsibility for the results, but says questions over his own future cannot distract the club from the immediate task of restoring momentum.
A difficult start at Old Trafford
United have lost three of their first six matches in all competitions and have recorded only two victories so far. Their league position is 13th, with four points collected from a possible 12.
- United beat newly promoted Ipswich Town 5-2 in the Premier League.
- They defeated Azerbaijan’s Sabah 4-0 in the Champions League.
- They were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City at Old Trafford in last Sunday’s league derby, with Erling Haaland scoring a goal Carrick believed should not have stood.
- On Wednesday, Brighton knocked United out of the League Cup in the round of 32, overturning a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 at Old Trafford.
The Brighton defeat, following the City loss, left United facing back-to-back home setbacks before the visit to Craven Cottage, where Álvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham await.
Carrick rejects talk of a crisis
Speaking before the London trip, Carrick played down the suggestion that United’s early results amounted to a collapse. “It is not a catastrophe or a disaster,” he said. “It is not the end of the world.”
The United manager also dismissed speculation surrounding the security of his position. He argued that the judgement on his work must extend beyond a small number of fixtures, while acknowledging the standards attached to managing the club.
“I think the timeframe goes far beyond the result of one or two games,” Carrick said. “Apart from that, it is irrelevant to me. I know the club, I know the role and I understand what is demanded here in terms of maintaining a certain level of performance.”
Focus on solutions before Fulham
Carrick said ownership matters and the amount of time available to him were not considerations he was prepared to entertain while United have matches to prepare for. He described dwelling on those questions as “ridiculous” in his current situation.
Instead, he placed the burden for the start squarely on himself, while insisting the squad’s response must be collective.
- “It is my responsibility and I accept it completely,” Carrick said.
- “This is not about looking for someone to blame. Blame me if you want; that is fine, but the point is not to point fingers.”
- “It is about finding solutions. It is a collective effort.”
- “I know where we want to get to, and we want to arrive there as soon as possible.”
For Carrick, the Fulham match offers the next chance to shift the conversation away from the Old Trafford unease and towards the level of performance he says United must quickly recover.
