Tielemans' Eye-Opening Claim About Carrick's Man Utd Pre-Season

· GiveMeSport

Youri Tielemans' comments about pre-season under Michael Carrick look eye-opening following Manchester United's slow start to the season.

Manchester United slumped to defeat in their opening Premier League match of the season, beaten by newly promoted Hull City . They've not looked much better in the four English top-flight games since, making comments made by Youri Tielemans during pre-season now look rather eye-opening.

The Red Devils were comfortably second-best on Humberside as Michael Carrick's men struggled to break down an impenetrable Hull defence. They managed to beat Ipswich Town 5-2 in their next outing, but that remains their only other league win so far.

Draws against Everton and Fulham were sandwiched by a woeful home loss to Manchester City, who were down to 10-men for most of the game. Add to that a poor League Cup loss to Brighton, having led by two goals, and the pressure is already mounting on Carrick.

With that in mind, Tielemans revelation about pre-season training under Carrick might actually explain some of United's sluggishness in East Yorkshire.

Tielemans, who signed from Aston Villa for £35 million earlier this summer, has shown some good glimpses at his new club, but – as has also been the case with most of his teammates – has looked off the pace at times. While comfortable when the ball arrived at his feet, he hasn't always been able to add any real energy or impetus to United in other areas of the game.

This isn't particularly surprising based on what the Belgian told Rio Ferdinand in an interview conducted during pre-season.

Speaking to the former United defender, Tielemans revealed that he and his teammates weren't made to run a lot after returning from their summer holidays. Instead, Carrick's sessions focused on the technical side of the game.

> "That's [ball work] what it's been like mostly," he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents .

> "Not loads of running?" Ferdinand queried.

> "No, no," Tielemans replied.

> "When you come back from the World Cup, you don't do loads of running. Just chill."

After drawing with Fulham away from home, Man Utd know go into an extended international break with the club manager under growing pressure. For now, his job is just about secure, with sources claiming director of football Jason Wilcox is an ‘advocate for stability’.

However, if form doesn't pick up when Premier League football resumes in October, Carrick could go the way of Ruben Amorim. The former Old Trafford boss was sacked last January after a similarly poor start to the season.

It's interesting that Gary Neville has spoken out against the team for not running enough against Fulham. He said:

> "I've never seen a Man Utd team walk out of possession as much as that. Michael has just said there was nothing wrong with the team's energy.

> "Michael has got to stop defending them. I get why he's defending them; he's loyal, he wants his players to work for him, and obviously there's a long way to go in the season.

> "Both teams were the same. I called them mannequins. I've never seen a United team walk around as much as that. No alertness, no aliveness. No 'on your toes'. You should always be on your toes."

Perhaps Carrick's pre-season methods could be to blame.

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