Soccer-Carrick backs Man United to emerge from rough spell ahead of Atletico test

Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Manchester United Training - Trafford Training Centre, Carrington, Britain - October 12, 2026 Manchester United manager Michael Carrick during training Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Manchester United head ⁠coach Michael Carrick said on Monday that his side had ⁠fallen short of expectations but backed them to come through a ‌difficult period as they prepare for a Champions League showdown with Atletico Madrid.

United have collected only six points from their opening six Premier League matches, their worst start to a ​league campaign since 1986-87, when they had ⁠four at the same stage.

However, Carrick's ⁠side made an emphatic start to their Champions League campaign, beating Azerbaijan's ⁠Sabah ‌FK 4-0 at Old Trafford in September, while Atletico opened with a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.

"We expected a lot more," said ⁠Carrick, who took charge in January following Ruben Amorim's ​departure. "I knew there was ‌going to be a period where it became stickier. That's part ⁠of it. ​It's a journey.

"There will have been times when it's not gone to plan for Atletico. They've had success, but it hasn't all been in one direction.

"I understand ⁠people thinking it's a disaster, but that's not ​in our mindset. You've got to be able to deal with it.

"The last three goals we've conceded, we could have done something about them. That ⁠can be the difference. The fans are there, and we've got to give them something. We will come through it."

Carrick received a timely boost ahead of Tuesday's clash with the return of Dutch centre back Matthijs de ​Ligt to the travelling squad after a lengthy ⁠absence with a back injury dating back to November 2025.

United's injury concerns have ​not eased completely, however, with midfielder Kobbie Mainoo ‌and left back Luke Shaw both picking ​up injuries in the 1-1 home draw against 10-man Tottenham Hotspur.

(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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足球 - 欧洲冠军联赛 - 曼联训练 - 特拉福德训练中心，卡灵顿，英国 - 2026年10月12日 曼联主教练迈克尔·卡里克在训练中 图片来自路透社/Jason Cairnduff

10 月 12 日（路透社）——曼联主教练迈克尔·卡里克周一表示，他的球队未能达到预期，但他相信球队能够度过这段艰难时期，为与马德里竞技的欧冠对决做好准备。

曼联在前六场英超联赛中仅获得六分，这是自 1986-87 赛季以来最糟糕的联赛开局，当时他们在同一阶段只获得了四分。

然而，卡里克率领的球队在欧冠联赛中取得了令人瞩目的开局，9 月份在老特拉福德球场以 4-0 击败了阿塞拜疆的萨巴赫足球俱乐部，而马竞则在利物浦以 1-2 的比分遭遇开门黑。

“我们原本期望更高，”卡里克说道。他于今年1月接替鲁本·阿莫林的帅位。“我知道会有一段比较艰难的时期。这是必然的。这是一个过程。”

“马竞的比赛也并非总是一帆风顺。他们取得了一些成功，但并非总是朝着同一个方向发展。”

“我理解人们认为这是一场灾难，但我们并不这么想。我们必须能够应对它。​​”

“我们最近丢的三个球，本来都可以避免的。这可能会决定比赛的胜负。球迷们就在现场，我们必须给他们一些回报。我们会挺过去的。”

在周二的比赛前，卡里克迎来了一个及时的利好消息：荷兰中后卫马泰斯·德里赫特在因背伤长期缺席（可追溯到2025年11月）后，重返球队。

然而，曼联的伤病问题并没有完全缓解，中场球员科比·梅努和左后卫卢克·肖都在主场1-1战平10人应战的热刺的比赛中受伤。

（Pearl Josephine Nazare在班加罗尔报道；Pritha Sarkar编辑）

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