Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has revealed that he remains in regular contact with former club managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he battles to end the club’s poor run of form.
Carrick is under increasing pressure after United went seven matches without a win ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
The pressure has intensified following criticism from senior players Lisandro Martínez and Bruno Fernandes over the club’s recruitment and tactical approach.
However, Carrick has rejected suggestions that Manchester United have become an unmanageable club, insisting that his team can recover from its current struggles.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s match, the former United midfielder defended his side’s approach to pressing opponents, arguing that critics had placed too much emphasis on running statistics.
“You’ve got to be careful with just saying ‘not running’,” Carrick said.
“We’ve won a lot of games over a period of time and this pressing thing; pressing is one small part of football.”
He added that teams could win matches through different tactical approaches and that running statistics alone did not determine results.
Carrick, however, admitted that United’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como on Wednesday fell below acceptable standards. He said the team needed to return to the level it had shown last season and during some periods of the current campaign.
The manager also confirmed that he had spoken to Ferguson and Solskjaer in recent days, describing his relationships with both men as close.
“I speak to both of them quite regularly,” Carrick said. “There’s nothing particular in that. I’m close to both of them. It’s nothing different this week.”
Solskjaer, who previously managed Carrick at Manchester United, visited the club’s training base in Trondheim during pre-season to spend time with the manager and his backroom staff.
Ferguson, meanwhile, remains a regular presence at United matches. The former manager signed Carrick from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006.
Despite the mounting pressure, Carrick expressed confidence in his players and backed them to produce a better performance against Bournemouth.
“I definitely trust them, 100%,” he said.
“We’ll be a different team on Sunday. We have to be a different team on Sunday.”
United will be looking to end their winless run against Bournemouth, with Carrick seeking a result that could ease the scrutiny surrounding his position at Old Trafford.
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