Michael Carrick has reiterated the importance of Manchester United's squad, after valuable cameos from Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee at the weekend.
Mazraoui filled in admirably at left-back against Crystal Palace, following the early substitution of the ill Luke Shaw, while Zirkzee displayed some quality touches and was unlucky to see two shots blocked late on, as we sought a third goal to take the game beyond the reach of the Eagles.
With four Reds ruled out of Wednesday's trip to Newcastle, and Shaw and Harry Maguire doubts, Carrick may once again need to call on the wider group.
That's what he told Mark Sullivan, as part of his pre-match interview, which you can watch, and read, in full below...
Michael, can you start with the team news, please – any updates on the likes of Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire?
“Yeah, they both weren’t feeling too well at all over the weekend. We were happy to get through the game and obviously get a good result. We’ll just give them every chance to recover and be well, really, so we’ll have to see. We’ve got to travel up and we’ve got tomorrow [Wednesday] morning, so we’ll see how they feel.”
Any news on Licha?
“Not particularly, really, no. He won’t be with us. He’s not quite ready for that. We’ve got one or two we’re trying to work to get them back – Mason [Mount] as well, he’s getting a bit closer, so unfortunately it’s part of the game. There’s always going to be people out, there’s always going to be people missing, but we’ll keep working as hard as we can to get them back.”
How important is it then, to have versatile players like Nous Mazraoui, Josh Zirkzee on the bench, ready to come in and help the team?
“Yeah, again I say it a lot but I think the whole squad is so, so important. I understand that some players have played a little bit more than others, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be the case for the rest of the season. I thought Nous in particular coming in, he played ever so well. So I’m pleased for us and for him. Josh again coming off the bench, as he did at West Ham, and having an impact… I think it’s part of it. You need everyone. We’ve got so much talent within the squad to call upon when we need it. I’m really delighted with the whole squad, I have to say, yeah. The way they’ve stuck together, with the spirit and all making an impact in different ways is what we want.”
Bruno is on 13 assists in the Premier League, the record for United in the Premier League is David Beckham, with 15 the season after the Treble. How good would it be to see Bruno break that record?
“Records are there to be broken. It’s not one for chasing. I think if he keeps making the right decisions and putting himself in the right position, it’ll hopefully happen at some point. All of his goals and assists, when you go chasing, it becomes a thing, so you’ve just got to trust him and let things happen. Keep doing the right thing, at the weekend there were big moments and Bruno was involved in them. He has been for some time and that’s why he’s important for us.”
How do you assess Newcastle, and is it always special when you return to the north-east?
“It’s nice, yeah. It’s nice. Family have got season tickets, actually, so hopefully they’ll be supporting us, but maybe sitting in their end! Obviously I’ve got great memories. I made my Premier League full debut at Newcastle as a youngster [for West Ham], so it’s funny how things work. It’s a really tough place to go but we know that, we fully expect that. We’ve got to be at our best to get what we want from the game.”
Our fans will make the trip to the north-east for an 8.15pm kick-off, how much do you continue to value their support?
“They’re incredible. I’ve seen it for so long. Obviously they’ll be there, they'll be a little higher up than normal, but I’m feeling the support particularly at these times, to be stopped in the street and feel the reaction of how they feel at the moment is massively rewarding. You want to keep pushing and keep the feeling in such a way. I thought actually they were really important at the weekend, in going one down and keeping that level of support and positivity with us, through the second half. Then in the end everything kind of works out and that’s what we need, you know? They’ve done it for so long, so I thank them for that.”