Michael Carrick will not underestimate Fulham when Manchester United try to make it three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since October.
The mood has lifted at Old Trafford since Michael Carrick became Manchester United head coach.
Ruben Amorim got sacked after 14 months of poor results, but Carrick has gone in and won back-to-back games against Premier League title contenders Man City and Arsenal. The challenge now is to maintain that level of form by showing consistency for the remainder of the season.
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United are currently fourth in the Premier League table. They’re in a good position to push for the Champions League spots, but the next few weeks will be telling about whether Carrick’s side can make life easier for themselves by continuing to win football matches.
The Red Devils face a Fulham side in good form, moving up to seventh in the standings in recent weeks.
One record that bodes well for United and Carrick is that United have only lost one of their last 20 Premier League clashes with the west London outfit, although United fans will recall how the Cottagers knocked us out of the FA Cup last season.
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That cup defeat should be fresh in the memory on Sunday, regardless of there being significant changes in the coaching staff.
Marco Silva against Brighton in the Premier League
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Michael Carrick shows respect towards Fulham and Marco Silva
It has been a strong start for Carrick since he returned to Old Trafford just over two weeks ago.
Carrick has the job until the end of the season to make a case for himself to be Amorim’s long-term successor. He will be part of the conversation if he can secure Champions League qualification.
Even if a Champions League spot is secured, there are no guarantees that Ineos will appoint him for the permanent position. The board have until the summer to make a decision over who they want to lead the team in the future.
The key question for United fans this week is whether the team backs up their recent wins over Man City and Arsenal by putting the sword to Fulham. They will need to penetrate Fulham, find ways in behind their defence and avoid costly mistakes in defence.
When asked about changing his approach for the upcoming game against Fulham, Carrick argued that he has more respect for Marco Silva and his side than the press because he’s well aware of the challenges they will pose his United side.
“Yeah, listen, I certainly understand what has gone before, not to speak about that because it’s not for me to talk about that,” Carrick told reporters at his pre-match press conference.
“What’s important with us is that understand what it’s going to take and what it has taken to get results, and, with the respect, as I’ve said of Marco and Fulham as a team, I think it’s as big, if not bigger test as what we’ve had. So, it’s really not a case of looking at this as any different. It’s another game in front of us.
“We got to put so many things in place and carry the emotion and the intensity and everything that goes into whatever game we play, and show the utmost respect to any team.
“So, we’re playing at home, we’re playing against Fulham. It’s no different for me. It really can’t be any different, and assuming things of the type of game or anything like that, we’ve got to face the game in front of us, play the game, however it develops.
“Yeah, we might play well. We might be on top. We might have to defend. We might be up against it. We might go up, we might go down, but that’s something that’s just going into the game with anything else, being prepared to do whatever it takes, and understanding that it’s a real, real challenge.
“They’re on a great run. They’re not far behind us in the league. They’re there for a reason. It’s a big challenge for us.”
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Michael Carrick happy with attitude shown by Man Utd players
With Carrick hitting the ground running in terms of results, it’s no wonder that morale in the dressing room seems to be high.
Bruno Fernandes remains one of the most influential players in the team, while Lisandro Martinez is back showing his leadership qualities in the heart of a back four.
Carrick added: “It’s easy to talk about it. Let’s be honest. It’s easy for all of us talk about it and we kind of know what needs to be done and how you need to approach it. That’s the beauty of the game.
“It’s unpredictable.
“Things can happen within the game. But certainly, in terms of what I’ve seen, the reaction from the last game coming back into training and the focus, if anything, it’s gone up even more and the intensity in the training is a very, very good level.
“So, that’s all I can ask, you know, is to keep building and improving and taking it into the game.”
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