Michael Carrick has rejected claims that his Manchester United stars have been unprofessional, and vowed to stand by them in the face of fierce criticism from pundits and fans.
Carrick’s former teammate Gary Neville accused some players of not going to bed at the right time or keeping to a healthy diet, while Wayne Rooney said they need ‘a firework up their a**e’ for the performances that have left their head coach fighting to save his job.
United fans turned on the team following Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford, applauding Carrick down the tunnel before immediately venting their anger at the players.
Asked if he has encountered the unprofessional behaviour insinuated by Neville, Carrick said: ‘No, I haven’t. Gaz says a lot things!’
After United decided to give their head coach more time to turn the season around, he met with the players when they returned to Carrington on Tuesday and spoke about the backlash from fans.
‘Just to be clear, it was more for them to understand that I’m right in there with them. There’s no way that I’m separated from that,’ said Carrick ahead of Saturday’s crucial game at Chelsea.
Gary Neville (left) said Man United players were ‘unprofessional’ but Michael Carrick (right) insists he is standing by them in the face of criticism
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‘As much as I totally respect and appreciate the response from the supporters, I’m right there with them and we’ll go through this together.
‘It was mixed feelings for me. To have the appreciation from the supporters and that connection and that respect is something I feel strongly about.
‘It wasn’t a nice situation, but to feel that was important, of course. But it didn’t make me feel better in the fact that I’m with the players 100 per cent.
‘We’re all in it together and I’ve told the players that. I’m happy to say that. I didn’t feel comfortable being separated from that in any way, shape or form.
‘That’s my group, they’re my players and this is my football club, so we have to all be in it together.
‘That includes the supporters. As hard as it is at the moment, I totally get that. I get their feelings. When we get through this, we’ll be a lot stronger as a whole.
‘We need to play better and we need to show certain things better. But the connection with us is as strong as ever.’
The fans also targeted United’s owners, the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, as well as chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.
On his meeting with the players, Carrick added: ‘It’s pretty clear. It’s not always rosy and nice conversations between anyone, whether that’s between me and the players, whether that’s between me, Jason or Omar or the owners. It’s the hard truth at times and it’s what we need to move forward.’
