Michael Carrick spoke about some of the decisions he is making with his squad.
Two players are on the mend from injuries, and another has been firmly displaced by Kobbie Mainoo in the middle of the park. But the most contention in the team for **Man United**involves the role of the striker as a summer signing has scored off the bench against Fulham, West Ham and Everton.
“Mason Mount* is getting closer, really. He’s on the grass, he’s getting closer. So he’s looking to train and being around it pretty soon. So he’s getting close. Just have to be patient, really, a little bit. And he’s a big player for us, Mason. So looking after him, making sure he’s ready for a big finish to the season. So good news that he’s getting really close.*
“*Matthijs de Ligt*will be a little bit longer. He’s had a back issue, which has just been a little bit slower to progress, really. It’s something that we’ve been working through. He’s getting there, he’s in the right direction, but as I said, he’s just a little bit further behind. It’s one of those things that’s disappointing, but it’s unfortunately part of football, so we’re getting back when we can.
“It’s a difficult one to pin down in some ways, especially time-wise. He’s definitely improving, so that’s a good thing. We’re just working towards that, really. There’s not much at this stage that I can give you anymore.”
“I like Manuel Ugarte a lot. He’s been terrific around the group and hugely impressed with his attitude and how he goes about it and his training qualities. He’s got a lot of really good attributes.
“When the team is winning, there’s obviously a big upside to that. And there’s always one or two boys that maybe haven’t played so much. Obviously, it makes it a little bit tougher to get in the team, but I think that creates that competition as well in a really healthy way that everyone’s pushing each other.
“Manu’s desperate to get on the pitch more, and he’s doing everything he can in training, and he’s a big part of the group. It’s just a case of the results and the boys playing so well that there’s going to be times when we might need to change things and freshen things up, and then he’s a big part of that.
“ We’re playing well as a team, we’re not getting carried away and thinking that carries on. The forwards have scored a good number of goals, Benjamin Sesko has been so good in so many ways. It’s really not a drama. It just shows the quality Ben has got. If he starts the next game or the one after, it is what it is, but he’s doing so many good things.”
“I don’t think we’ve played a false nine, I think Bryan Mbeumo has played high on the last line a lot of the time. We’ve played in different ways. Four points in two games away from home isn’t so bad, being able to change it from the bench is a real strength.”