Michael Carrick struck a positive tone in today’s press conference ahead of Manchester United’s pivotal Premier League clash with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, revealing there is a “lot of confidence” flowing through the squad. Be Positive The 44-year-old coach took charge of his first game as caretaker in the Manchester Derby last weekend, guiding the Red Devils to an emphatic 2-0 victory over City – with the scoreline heavily flattering Pep Guardiola’s side. A trip to the Emirates is next on the agenda for Carrick in a brutal set of fixtures, but the former midfielder is adamant his players can meet the “big challenge” head on. “I am looking forward to the game. It’s a big challenge. They are a very good team. It is pretty obvious to say that, they have so many strong points to their game. It is a big challenge. They are where they are for a reason in the Champions League, we are fully aware of that and not taking that lightly at all. We feel we are in a good place and we go there looking forward to the game. It is where we want to be, we want to be positive with that energy and enthusiasm but we know it is not going to be easy. “We have got our ideas on what needs to be done and how we need to get there. Credit to Arsenal, they are in a really strong place for building a squad and recruitment. Mikel takes credit for that, he has done a fantastic job. We have our own ideas on what we need to do and what it is going to take get there and that is what we are working towards.” Carrick described a “big uplift” around Carrington this week after beating City, imploring his players to use the performance as a “foundation to build on.” “I will not tell you the team. No everyone came through the game really well actually. It has been a good week. A big result, a big performance and a big uplift with the feeling inside the stadium. It is finding a balance between getting the encouragement and confidence from the game and performance and keeping level headed and keeping our feet on the ground. We have got another big game coming up. One game does not make you a great team. It gives us a great foundation to build on. There’s a lot of confidence, a lot of good feeling in the group but measured with that is we know what is coming and we have got to be ready for it.” Hints on the starting XI One of the biggest calls Carrick made for the Derby was to drop the in-form Benjamin Sesko to the bench in place of Bryan Mbeumo, with the Cameroon international deployed as a false nine upon his return from the Africa Cup of Nations. It paid off handsomely, however, as Mbeumo scored the opener, though Sesko remained an unused substitute. But Carrick insists this will not impede the Slovenian striker, instead pointing to the benefit of having different options up front. “It is a variety in terms of strengths. I gave [Mbeumo] a free role to drift. Ben is great on the line. Josh can do a bit of he is very good at bringing players into it. It is great to have that flexibility in terms of carrying the game to the later stages. “[Sesko] is not losing momentum. It was a team last week to go in a certain way. We are trying to improve him as much as possible. I don’t see it as anything else as pushing on and using what he has done as a stepping stone to do well here for a long time.” Carrick was also quick to praise the individual performances of Kobbie Mainoo and Diogo Dalot, two players who returned to their natural roles after 14 months spent playing out of position in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system. Dalot was showered with praise for his attitude: “I thought Diogo played ever so well last week. There was the incident with the yellow card but to manage that and defend as he did was good. It has been ups and downs with performance. Diogo is really focused, loves playing for the club and did fantastic.” And, on Mainoo, Carrick was equally effusive: “I really enjoyed working with Kobbie. I have known him since he was young. I started working with him when he was 13, 14 years old when I was going through my badges. This club needs young players coming through and laying the foundation for understanding what it means, not only for the players or the squad, but for the club and the supporters. It is something we need to grasp and build on and Kobbie is a prime example. To come through so quickly and have that rapid rise, he had to play in some awfully big games and had to impact those it shows an awful lot of quality in terms of his character and being able to handle it. Part of a career is having a few ups and downs and sometimes it goes in different trajectories but we saw last week what he can bring. It was great. He is quite straight faced, he doesn’t give you an awful lot but you can see in the way he played and expressed himself, he was enjoying himself and to see him like that was great.” Worrying Update The only negative update Carrick delivered was revealing Matthijs de Ligt was still a “couple of weeks or so” away from a return from injury. “Hopefully [back soon], he had a setback before I arrived, only small. Maybe not so much a setback, but I think it was a little bit slower than we hoped. He is certainly getting closer. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks or so, without putting an exact timeframe on it, he will be back and around it and it will be great to have him back.” The Netherlands international has been a titan at the back for United this season, and his absence over the past month has been notable – both in terms of his defensive prowess and leadership. The return of Harry Maguire from injury has softened this blow, however, with the 32-year-old Englishman producing a monstrous performance alongside Lisandro Martinez against City. The ongoing uncertainty over his future was raised, given his contract expires at the end of the season – as does Casemiro’s, who was confirmed to be leaving Old Trafford this summer. “It is coming into that time of the season with contracts. January is January with the window. We are working away through that and coming towards the end of the season in terms of contracts and decisions. There will be conversations and discussions in good time and at the right time. The announcement for Case was for clarity. It was decided before I arrived, it is not just a knee-jerk decision. The type of personality and character he is shows with his performance last week, where he is mentally and how much it means for him to be here and to finish the season strong. I have already had that conversation with him, he is desperate to do well and finish well. So I have got no doubts about him at all.” Carrick said he is yet to hold talks with the hierarchy over long-term planning, with his focus having been on the immediate task of preparation for two key matches, though he revealed he will be a “part” of the decision-making process. “For the week or so I have not looked too far down the track. The initial thoughts have been on what is happening now. Any decision I make, or my staff make or the club make is not short term, it is not just to get through to the end of the season. I have a responsibility, whatever happens next, for it to be in a good place and moving forward, make the right decisions. As time goes on, I am sure I will be part of it and we will work our way through it.” United could climb to fourth with a win over Arsenal this weekend, though the Red Devils’ record at the Emirates in recent years has been abysmal. Carrick has already torn up the script against one of the club’s rivals, however, and he appears ready to do so again on Sunday. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Darragh Fox Darragh is an editor for The Peoples Person who spent three years learning about the Cold War at the University of Sheffield slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about. Amad’s first touch should be officially recognised as the eighth wonder of the world.
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