Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick started his news conference on Friday with a speech that lasted more than five minutes as he tried to rally his players ahead of the crucial Premier League clash against Bournemouth on Sunday.
Carrick is battling to save his job after the humiliating 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League earlier this week.
And amid a backdrop of doubts about his future, the 45-year-old sat down for his weekly news conference at Carrington and delivered an impassioned monologue during which he highlighted the need for everyone at the club to be “humble,” have “humility” and “work hard.”
Carrick began with: “I’ll start today. I just want to say a few things. I think it’s important.”
He went on to speak for five minutes and 25 seconds and warned his players that they must return to the standards set by some of United’s most famous servants including Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt Busby, Sir Bobby Charlton, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney.
“My responsibility is to get a team on the pitch that represents this football club, represents the supporters, and they can be proud of the identity that we show,” Carrick said.
“We have gone away from that just recently in certain games, which I’m totally fully aware of and definitely doing something about. I think it’s important that we all recognise that. I certainly recognise it.
“We’ve had it, we’ve kind of lost our way a little bit if I’m totally honest, and we will get it back. I’m totally confident we’ll get it back. Respect this football club, respect what it takes, because it’s very, very important to me.”
Once Carrick finally took questions from reporters, he was asked whether everyone else at the club feels the same way he does.
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“Yeah, I do,” he replied. “Yeah, 100% do. And if you don’t, this is not the place for you.
“That spirit, that unity, that togetherness needs to be there. And it is there, and it will be there. I’ll make sure it’s there anyway. I’m just looking for the solutions to move us forward, that’s plain and simple.”
With his job potentially on the line when Bournemouth visit Old Trafford on Sunday, Carrick was also asked whether he believes he is still the right man to turn things around.
“Yeah, 100%, yeah,” he said.
