Michael Carrick takes Man City charges 'personally' as Man Utd boss makes appeal demand

· Mirror

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has opened up on how Manchester City's charges has impacted him, after they were found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules

Michael Carrick has admitted Manchester City's guilty verdict has impacted him "personally" and has called for the situation to be resolved as soon as possible.

On September 30, the Premier League confirmed that City had been found guilty on all charges relating to breaches of its financial regulations between 2009/10 and 2017/18. It was revealed that City had artificially inflated revenue by more than £900million through so-called 'sham' sponsorship deals.

City, however, have strongly denied any wrongdoing and lodged an appeal against the ruling on October 1. In an official statement, the club insisted they are "innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League" and say they have "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" to back their position.

With the Premier League back in full swing following the extended international break, Manchester United head coach Carrick has spoken in public for the first time since City were found guilty.

Carrick was part of the United squad that finished second in 2011/12 and then again in 2017/18, and will be awarded with another Premier League medal if City are stripped of all their titles.

Speaking in his pre-Tottenham press conference, Carrick said: "Difficult to say in many ways. It's thrown up a lot of questions," Carrick said. "It's ongoing, and there's only so much I can say. I have my own questions about it because it has affected me personally. We'll have to see how it goes. The sooner it gets sorted for everyone, the better.

> "There's no getting that back [winning moments] in any direction. The feeling we all crave is coming out on top. That sums it up. Whatever is done in the past, is done in the past.

> "Speed is essential, as I just said. That's obvious for me to sit here and say that. There are so many angles, but speed is essential for everybody to be clear, to deal with it, and move on. It's unprecedented to be in this situation at this level. We all need to know what is going to happen."

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, delivered a more toned response to a question asked about his former club. "I fully understand the question but I think it's really important that we respect the process, the timelines and it's still an ongoing process that's not resolved as it's been appealed," the Spaniard said.

Asked if the situation will inspire City, Arteta added: "I don't know, it's something that's not in our hands, we're preparing to play Leeds and be in the best condition and that's what we'll do tomorrow."

Arteta was appointed as Pep Guardiola's assistant head coach at City in July 2016 and spent three years there before returning to Arsenal in December 2019. During his time at the Etihad Stadium, Arteta helped the club win the Premier League twice, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup on two occasions.

Liverpool are City's next opponents on Sunday and Reds head coach Andoni Iraola was asked about the situation in his press conference. "I think uncertainty is not good for anyone involved but the process is ongoing so we have to be patient," Iraola said.

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