The key facts

  • Carrick called the resignation rumours insignificant and said he is looking forward to the match against Roma
  • United have not won for nine matches in a row — the club's worst run in decades
  • The team sit 20th in the Champions League table after a 1:4 defeat to Como

Carrick: 'I don't think about it at all'

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick dismissed at a pre-match press conference on Monday the suggestion that he has only two matches left in charge of the team — against Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday and Aston Villa on Sunday. 'No, not at all. If you look ahead, you never know what will happen. I don't know what will happen. That doesn't change how I feel or how we prepare for the game,' said the 45-year-old specialist, for whom this is his first full season at the club. According to AFP, the match against Villa takes place immediately before the international break, which potentially gives the club's leadership the opportunity to change the coach.

Worst run in decades

Carrick's position was shaken after Saturday's 0:2 defeat to Chelsea, which extended United's winless run in all competitions to nine matches. Here the agency's versions differ: one AFP text says this is the club's worst run in 42 years, while another says the team last had a longer run in 1984. In the Premier League, United sit just one place above the relegation zone, having taken seven points from nine matches. In the Champions League league phase, the team are 20th after a crushing 1:4 defeat to Como last month; only the top 24 teams advance.

The dressing room and Martinez

Carrick said the dressing room is 'in a good place' despite the poor start to the season, and has no doubts about the players' attitude: 'We need to play better, we can make better decisions, but commitment is not in question at all.' He defended Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez, who was sent off in the match against Chelsea; a second AFP version clarifies that Martinez had earlier criticised the club's leadership for insufficient investment in the squad, and the coach said he has 'no concerns' about his attitude. Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who sat next to Carrick at the press conference, expressed confidence that the team is one step away from a turnaround: 'Big, big matches are ahead, and it seems we are just one win short.'

Fond memories of Roma

Against Roma, Carrick plays with warm personal memories: in 2007, playing in Alex Ferguson's team, he scored two goals in the home leg of the Champions League quarter-final, which United won 7:1. 'It was a magical night... one of the best nights, games and atmospheres I have ever witnessed,' he recalled, adding that the brace was 'quite unusual' for him.