Soccer-United's Carrick brushes off questions over his future ahead of Roma clash

Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Manchester United Training - Trafford Training Centre, Carrington, Britain - November 2, 2026 Manchester United manager Michael Carrick during training Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

MANCHESTER, England, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Manchester United head ⁠coach Michael Carrick has brushed aside questions about his long-term future, saying his focus remained ⁠firmly on Tuesday's home Champions League clash with AS Roma as his side look to end ‌a nine-match winless run.

United are 17th in the Premier League with seven points from nine games, above the relegation zone on goal difference, and are enduring their longest winless streak since 1984.

The United board has nevertheless opted to stick with their former midfielder Carrick ​despite the run of poor results, including defeats by Como, Bournemouth and ⁠Chelsea.

Asked about his future, Carrick told a ⁠press conference: "That has no influence on how we prepare or on the game tomorrow.

"We cannot wait for the ⁠game ‌tomorrow. That is all I am focused on. What happens after, happens. Whatever direction it goes in ...

"I love being here, I love working with the players. The struggles, the challenges, that just drives ⁠you on to want even more."

The pressure on United is heightened by ​their position in the Champions ‌League standings, where they sit 21st with three points from three matches. Roma are 15th with ⁠four points.

"We know what ​we are capable of. We are close but need to act on it quickly," Carrick said.

"We have two great games this week (at home to Roma and Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday). A great opportunity to attack the ⁠game and make it a good night."

Carrick also said he had ​no concerns about centre back Lisandro Martinez's commitment following the 28-year-old Argentine's dismissal in the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.

"Things happen in football. Sometimes you make mistakes. The commitment is not an issue," he added.

Carrick's defence of Martinez comes ⁠against a backdrop of growing scrutiny on the club, with frustrations spilling into the open in recent weeks.

Last month, captain Bruno Fernandes questioned tactics after the 4-1 thrashing at Como, while Martinez criticised the club hierarchy after a 2-0 Champions League defeat away to Atletico Madrid, saying he expected greater investment to help the team compete ​at the highest level.

But Carrick added that the squad remained united.

"The dressing ⁠room is a good place," he said. "Perception is a funny thing. You can make things look different ways and ​think about all sorts of different things.

"The commitment of the players ‌to the club, to me, to each other - do not ​question at all. We need to play better, we can make better decisions but the commitment is not a thing at all."

(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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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11月2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

英格兰曼彻斯特，11 月 2 日（路透社）——曼联主教练迈克尔·卡里克回避了有关他长期未来的问题，称他仍然专注于周二主场与罗马的欧冠比赛，他的球队希望结束九场不胜的局面。

曼联目前在英超联赛中排名第 17 位，9 场比赛积 7 分，凭借净胜球优势勉强高于降级区，并且正经历着自 1984 年以来最长的不胜纪录。

尽管球队战绩不佳，包括输给科莫、伯恩茅斯和切尔西，但曼联董事会仍然选择继续留用他们的前中场球员卡里克。

当被问及他的未来时，卡里克在新闻发布会上表示：“这不会影响我们明天的备战或比赛。”

“我们迫不及待地想看明天的比赛。我现在只专注于此。至于之后会发生什么，就顺其自然吧。无论结果如何……”

“我喜欢待在这里，我喜欢和球员们一起工作。那些困难和挑战，只会激励你追求更多。”

曼联目前在欧冠积分榜上排名垫底，三场比赛仅积三分，位列第21位，这无疑加剧了他们面临的压力。罗马则积四分，排名第15位。

“我们知道自己有能力做到什么。我们已经很接近目标了，但需要迅速采取行动，”卡里克说。

“本周我们有两场重要的比赛（周日主场迎战罗马和阿斯顿维拉的英超联赛）。这是一个绝佳的机会，让我们全力以赴，争取一个美好的夜晚。”

卡里克还表示，在28岁的阿根廷中后卫利桑德罗·马丁内斯在0-2负于切尔西的比赛中被罚下场后，他对马丁内斯的忠诚度没有任何担忧。

“足球场上什么事都有可能发生。有时候你会犯错。但投入程度不是问题，”他补充道。

卡里克为马丁内斯辩护之际，正值俱乐部面临越来越严格的审查，近几周来，俱乐部内部的不满情绪公开爆发。

上个月，在科莫 1-4 惨败后，队长布鲁诺·费尔南德斯质疑了球队的战术；而在欧冠客场 0-2 负于马德里竞技后，马丁内斯批评了俱乐部高层，表示他希望俱乐部能加大投入，帮助球队在最高水平的比赛中竞争。

但卡里克补充说，球队依然团结一致。

“更衣室是个好地方，”他说。“感知是个很有趣的东西。你可以把事情看成不同的样子，也可以思考各种不同的事情。”

“球员们对俱乐部、对我、彼此的忠诚毋庸置疑。我们需要踢得更好，我们可以做出更好的决定，但忠诚度绝对不是问题。”

（Pearl Josephine Nazare在班加罗尔报道；Ken Ferris编辑）

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