Michael Carrick addresses Man Utd's struggles in passionate opening statement

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Michael Carrick addresses Manchester United's struggles in a passionate opening statement

This is Michael Carrick speaking at Manchester United's pre-match press conference. Carrick admits the team's recent form and Wednesday's defeat were unacceptable, says he takes responsibility and still believes he can turn things around, and stresses that United is bigger than any individual while the team must restore humility, hard work, sacrifice and unity.

► Subscribe to Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWSkySportsYT Michael Carrick speaks to the press ahead of Manchester United's Premier League meeting with Bournemouth, reflecting on the team's recent struggles and Wednesday's painful defeat. SkySportsNews SkySports ManUtd ► For the latest developments on this story: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/topstories ► For the latest transfer news: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/TransferCentre More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsnews ► X: https://x.com/SkySportsNews ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage

Transcript

Just want to say a few things really. I think it's important. Um I think recently we haven't had a good time. I think that's pretty obvious. So um I totally accept that what what we're going through at the moment. Um we had five months of um relative success in in a spell where I was happy with a lot of things that I was seeing and and that we were doing as a team. Um we have we haven't done well enough lately. I think that's pretty obvious to say and we've had a spell that we we're really not happy with. Um Wednesday was a bad night. It was a bad night for for a lot of reasons. And it was a it was a bad night. That kind of hurt a lot and and uh obviously hurt me to to to see us play that way to to see how the game panned out. It was um as I said after the game, it was really unacceptable for for for us to to play like that and and and to be like that. Um the supporters are a huge part of this football club for for me to to see the supporters have to have to um make the effort and the time and spend the money to come and support us on on on Wednesday um and have the feeling after the game like we all felt was um was was a was a tough moment. Um I think that's that that's pretty obvious. Um my responsibility is to get a team on a pitch that represents this football club, represents the supporters and and and they they can be proud of it with the identity that we're showing. um we have gone away from that just just recently in in in certain games which which I'm totally fully aware of and um definitely doing something about. So I think it's important that we um you all recognize that. I certainly recognize it and um our supporters are the utmost of importance to to me and this football club and for them to to feel like they felt for five months at the start of the season at the start of the year for us to to to have that about us and that connection and that real vigor and um intensity and enjoyment and passion that we all felt um through that period was was um was something that we need to get back to and we will get back to it and um I'm fully believe that. But I think it's important that we recognize that we we we haven't been doing that. Um this the the foundation of this football club and the values of the this football club have been put down and etched and for for many many years and um I totally understand uh and I get every single one of them and um it comes down to humility. It comes down to being humble. comes down to being hardworking and um being really proud to to work hard and being proud to live up to them values and um you know it's there's a resilience about this football club that's been shown for for for a long long time and um whether that's bouncing back from adversity, whether that's comebacks, whether that's late goals, whether that's success, whether that's sustaining success is the resilience um in this football club that runs very very deep and I'm um I've seen it with my own eyes. I felt it. Um I'm aware of some of the individuals and know them closely who have been big part of that history and um I said it after the game. Manchester United is always bigger. I know it always has been, always will be bigger than any single individual. Um bigger than me, bigger than any other players. Um and it always has been. You know, I fortunate enough to know some players myself and play with some Ryan Giggs, arguably one of the greatest to to play for this football club. Um it was never about Ryan Giggs. It was about Manchester United. Wayne Rooney was um top goal scorer of this of this football club. His biggest thing was playing for the team, sacrificing for the team and what was good for Manchester United. Um Sir Alex Ferguson, the best manager of of all time, the greatest for me and and working with him and and his his main priority was Manchester United. And going back to Sir Mat Sir Bobby, the resilience was beyond belief of what they showed um and the way they rebuilt this football club and um again it was based on being humble being having humility and and hard work. Um and we can never lose that and I won't let this I won't let us lose that. We we've had it for a spell. Um I feel very strongly about that. I think it's it's um it inspires me a lot to live up to that um and keep driving that with the players in the group that we have we we shown for for a good period of time um and that we're capable of it at the moment. Yeah, it's we're in a moment where it's it's it's not gone well. So, we need to show what um exactly what it means and um you know, respect this football club, respect what it takes to be here, respect what it takes to win, what you have to do to win. Um, we're not I'm not entitled to be here. Entitlement cannot be at this football club. We're not entitled to win. We've won in the past. We've got an incredible history, but that doesn't um mean that you're entitled to to to just win. Um I'm fully aware of that. It takes it takes hard work, takes a lot of sacrifice. You got to you got to invest yourself in the football club and you got to do a lot of things that maybe aren't so nice, but you got to do it for each other and you got to win and you got to win. Um, and I think it's important we live up to that and it's important for me to to push those values and it's important for our supporters to to feel that um, moving forward. We've had it. We've kind of lost our way a little bit if I'm totally honest. Um, and we'll get it back. I'm totally confident we'll get it back. We respect this football club. Respect what it takes cuz it's very very important to me. Simon. >> Hi Michael. Um it's half an hour to follow that but obviously there's naturally been a lot of talk the last 24 hours 36 hours. Who have you been speaking to in the club hierarchy and how have you spoken to the players after your disappointment in Koma? >> Yeah we've spoke obviously there's always conversations going on. I think it's pretty obvious how we're all feeling. Um it's pretty obvious how we're all feeling. A reaction a reaction from me. um my responsibility for me to be in this position is is um is to lead. You know, I'll I'll it is my responsibilities to whatever goes on the pitch and um and what we are as a group and what we look like and what we feel like if if anything um you know, I'll I'll hold that umbrella for for me to get wet and and for for for everyone else to stay dry. You know, that's the position I'm in and it's a privileged position. Um discussions going on. um getting the players in a good frame of mind and well organized to to put in a good performance on Sunday. >> Spoken about the club being more than one person and the ability to fight back from adversity. Are you still confident that you can be the man that does that? >> Yeah. Yeah. 100%. Yeah. >> Michael, how much is this hurting you the situation right now? The the speech that you just gave there at the start of the press conference clearly came from the heart. You spoke very um openly and very honestly about how you felt after the game the other night as well. You've been through a lot with this club. You've won a lot of things. How much is this hurting you and how much pride have you got to sort this out, not just for yourself, but for everyone else as well and to move on from what is undoubtedly a very difficult moment? >> Yeah, it it it hurts an awful lot, but it doesn't stop me. There's a big difference. you know that that that hurt is used as pure motivation for for uh an inspiration if anything to to want more to expect more um to work for more and and to to get us going in that different direction. Um we can be you know it it feels at times that it it can be a long way away but it it doesn't it doesn't take too much to to flip the other way and and we're more than capable of doing. I totally believe that. Um and we will you know we'll win football matches. We've got a very tough one on on Sunday. Um very very good team that we're playing against on Sunday and I'm not suggesting now all of a sudden that uh that becomes an easy game because it doesn't um you got to respect the game. We've got to respect what it takes to win. >> Do you get the sense that everyone feels the same way that you do? >> Yeah. >> Deeply as you do. >> Yeah, I do. Yeah, 100% do. Uh and if you don't, this is not the place for you. >> And then James, >> Michael, talk about getting the players in the right frame. I just wanted to ask you a few questions about Bruno Fernandez. First of all, how is he and his family after the news from a few nights ago about his home being burned? >> Yeah, I mean it's um it's it's an awful thing to hear about and to go through. Um we're obviously doing a lot of work to support Bruno and his family. Um thankfully they they weren't directly affected even though it's it's an awful situation. So I'm not playing it down in any way, but yeah, we're doing everything to to support them. Off the back of Landre's comments, Bruno's comments after the game, have you had some honest conversations with him, the rest of the squad around tactics, the direction of the club, because on the outside it does feel like, you know, the change room is maybe divided. Maybe that's not the right word, but all isn't well at the moment in that dressing room. >> It's not divided now. Um, it's not divided. Um, we just need to get back in to doing what we do best and we we will. change. >> Michael, the club has continually changed manager since since Ferguson went and there's been some short-term bounces, but the reality is the club has just ended up being mired in the same cycle. Can you you're obviously clearly obviously under pressure, but can you can you just talk about why you feel it is so important at this moment that the club break that cycle? they might have to go through some pain to move forward. And do you fear that if there's obviously more change, this this cycle is just going to keep repeating itself? >> I certainly don't fear it. No. Um, not at all. I understand what we could what we can achieve. Um, I know what it needs to look like to to to get to the stage where um you're winning enough football games to get through that spell as well. And um but principles um values are are so so important to the football club to definitely to me. Um we can win games, we can we can lose games maybe hopefully not, but at some point we're going to do it. Um it's how you do it a little bit and what and what it feels like is important. Um and that spirit, that unity, that togetherness um needs to be there. And it it it is there and it will be there. I'll make sure it's there anyway. So, um, I'm just looking for the solutions to to move us forward. That's plain and simple as that. >> Just just on that on that togetherness and the emotions and the values and stuff. Dan's mentioned it there like Landra Martin has coming out last week. Bruno made some pretty pointed comments. Does that ha does that have to stop? Have you spoken to the players and said, "Look, we're killing ourselves in public here. We've got to we have got to come together and stop this sort of behavior." >> Yeah. we we need to move forward in in the right direction for sure. We need to do things to enable us to to um to do that. So it's it's pretty clear. >> Michael, in your kind of speech just then you use some words humble, humility, sacrifice, hard work, and you spoke about the great players of of the past and what success has been built on. Obviously talent is another thing. On Wednesday, you said that if you don't run forward and you don't run back, you won't win football matches. Seems a fairly basic thing to do. How do you persuade these players, these group of players who your job rests on ultimately? How do you persuade them that they need those four things that you spoke about the humble humbleness and humility as well as talent to achieve what you need? I think it's pretty clear as day. It's it's not I'm not telling you anything um anything new. I haven't definitely invented anything new with with that. That's the makeup of of of any good football team. And um you have to earn the right to be better than your opponent. You have to do more than than your opponent to to win a game. That's as simple as that. That doesn't change. It never changes. Um >> it's what we need to do to win more games. Jamie and then Paul >> Michael um you obviously you know love this club are in it for the right reasons and I think we all you know assess you as a really good guy etc. Isn't this then what made Bruno Fernandez's sort of questioning of your tactics basically your authority so sort of invidious and divisive and actually this is the man the player you trusted as the captain the leader who's shows an example and he goes and does that I mean how do you solve that you consider taking the captaincy off him dropping him you know because it's about the the collective as you just said right and he there himself has basically gone against that right >> yeah the most important thing for me is is is the team first and foremost is the squad is the dynamics in the squad and again it's it's about the football club. Um and I always do what's best for for the football club. >> So would you consider taking the captaincy off him or drop? >> I'm just saying I'd always whatever the situation is I'll always do what's best for the football club. Michael, just on on Bruno again, have you spoken to him about what he said? Because, you know, obviously that caused a lot of sort of noise that came after, you know, the difficult situation as it is, it kind of poured a bit more kind of fuel on the fire. >> Yeah. If I've spoken to him or haven't spoke to him, I don't think this is the time to to go into too much detail. >> Just on a similar theme to what James was asking earlier, those values about, you know, self-sacrifice, humility, etc., Do you think the players understand that? And how important is it that they do understand that? >> That's vital that they do. Yeah, they have to. They have to. That's what I'm saying. We we have done it and we've shown a spell and and um it's it's it's there. You know, they've felt it as a group. Uh they know what it uh it takes to to win certain games. I know you can question things about last season and the run and amount of games we played and all that. The fact of the matter is we went on a really really good run, the best run in the in the league out of everybody at that point. So it's there. It's there. We got to find it individually. You got to find it as a team. And I got to find it for everyone.