Michael Carrick said Manchester United are in the middle of a “challenging, stickier” spell but he “totally believes” players will turn things around ahead of their Champions League game at Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.
United have only won two out of eight matches in all competitions so far this season, with back-to-back draws with Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur following defeats to Manchester City and Brighton in the last month.
The Champions League is an opportunity for Carrick to change that dynamic, having beaten Sabah 4-0 on matchday one, and now visiting Atlético at the Metropolitano.
“Of course we hoped for a lot more [this season], we expected a lot more, but we are where we are,” Carrick said in a news conference on Monday. “I was aware there was going to be a period when it was going to become a bit more challenging, a bit stickier. That’s part of it. Football and building something takes a journey. You’ve got to overcome things.
“I understand that when it’s not going too well, there’s a real clamour and a real feeling of ‘it’s a disaster, it’s all wrong and everything needs to be changed.’ I kind of get that, but that’s not our mindset, certainly not mine.
“I love this part sometimes, when it’s going against you, you see who’s really there, within the group, the squad, the club, who wants to be here for the long term. The supporters are desperate for it and we’ve got to give them something. You’ve got to embrace challenges to get where you want to be. I totally believe we’ll come through it.”
Carrick inspired a turnaround in United’s 2025-26 season when he took over as head coach from Ruben Amorim in January, and the team’s performance in the second half of the campaign persuaded United to give him the position full-time.
However the side’s Premier League form, with one win in six games leaving them 13th in the table, already has the former United midfielder feeling the heat.
“It depends how you define pressure,” he said on Monday. “We know what we want and what we’re capable of doing as a team.
“We want to be part of something successful, there’s no negativity about that. There’s going to be times when it’s a bit of a struggle, but to get anywhere, to do something good, something great, you’ve got to be able to do something difficult, and get through it.”
United drew 1-1 with underperforming Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday, conceding a 92nd-minute equaliser, despite Spurs playing the latter stages of the game with 10 men.
“It’s very fine lines,” Carrick said. “The last three goals we’ve conceded in the league have all been avoidable. It’s very fine margins. But I’ve got the utmost confidence in the boys that we can win games, and win a lot of games.”
