Michael Carrick faces a make-or-break match against Chelsea on Saturday after surviving crunch talks with the Manchester United hierarchy earlier in the week
Youri Tielemans of Manchester United
Youri Tielemans has thrown his support behind Michael Carrick(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Youri Tielemans has begged the Manchester United board to keep the faith with Michael Carrick, insisting he can turn things around.
Carrick surprisingly kept his job on Tuesday following speculation he would be sacked in the wake of two hugely damaging defeats. United were thrashed by Como and Bournemouth in quick succession, sparking serious doubts about Carrick's future.
United chiefs considered appointing Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann or Antonio Conte as his replacement before deciding to back Carrick for the time being. He faces a make-or-break match against Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
The team has won two of their 12 games in all competitions and sits 16th in the Premier League table, having taken just seven points from their opening eight matches. That represents United's worst start to a league campaign in 40 years, but Tielemans remains convinced that Carrick is the right man for the job.
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"I came here partly because of him, because he wanted me here," he told TNT Sports. "He wanted me to help the team out. So I’m very happy for him to stay, and the whole group, we don't want a sudden change.
"We don't want a big change that is going to disrupt things more than they are. We just need stability, we need to keep working hard, and it’s going to turn at some point."
United's only two wins this season have come against newly-promoted Ipswich and Champions League minnows Sabah. They have kept just one clean sheet all season and are currently on an eight-game winless run.
Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick is under huge pressure to beat Chelsea on Saturday(Image: Martin Rickett/Press Association)
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Their form is a stark contrast to last season under Carrick, who transformed the club's fortunes after being appointed interim boss in January following the sacking of Ruben Amorim. Tielemans was signed for £35million from Aston Villa in the summer transfer window and has enjoyed working with him, despite the results.
"Since I’ve come in, he’s always done his work," the Belgium international added. "He’s tried to put a system in place that we all feel comfortable in. I joined this summer, because he convinced me to come over and help the team out.
"I can only speak positively about him, and everyone in the changing room would do the same. We all just need to stick together and turn this situation around."
Youri Tielemans
Youri Tielemans was signed for £35m in the summer transfer window(Image: Phil Oldham/Shutterstock)
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Carrick's work has been undermined by public outbursts by Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes in recent weeks, hinting at friction behind the scenes. Carrick held clear-the-air talks with United captain Fernandes this week and Tielemans feels they are all pulling in the same direction.
"Everyone is like they are. It's just a case of trying to do that in the right tone, the right moment," he said. "There has been a lot of talk about it, obviously, so I’m not going to go into this much further. But it shows that everyone cares. We all want to turn these things around.
"We want to win games. We’re all winners, and when frustration builds up, you might have different words and different opinions, which is totally normal. As long as it stays in the group, that’s the best part."
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