Michael Carrick says there is 'no drama' when it comes to Benjamin Sesko's status in his squad.
The Slovenian is yet to be named in an XI by Carrick, and has come off the bench in each of the last five league fixtures.
Despite this, Ben has made a huge impact, netting vital winners against Fulham and Everton, as well as the superby taken late equaliser at West Ham, to preserve our unbeaten run.
There is growing discussions about when Sesko might be granted more time on the pitch but Carrick doesn't see an issue, preferring to focus on the positives, with Sesko averaging a goal every 37 minutes since his brace at Burnley.
Read the whole transcript below, as Michael is also asked about Manuel Ugarte, Harry Maguire and Friday's UEFA Champions League draw...
We’ve asked a few times about Mason Mount and Matthijs de Ligt. What is the situation with them, because Matthijs hasn’t played since the last time you played Palace and Mason scored against Palace so there’s a shared history there.
“Mason is getting closer really. He’s on the grass and he’s getting closer, he’s looking to train and be in and around it pretty soon. He’s getting close. He’s just had to be patient really and he’s a big player so we’re looking after him and making sure he’s ready for a big finish to the season. The good news is he’s getting really close. Matthijs he’s had a back issue which has been a little bit slower to progress really. It’s something we’ve been working through and 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 just a part of football unfortunately, so we’ll get him back when we can.”
Is there even a remote timescale for him because obviously when he was injured the first time, Ruben said he’d be back next week and now we’re months down the line, with an international break coming up…
“It’s just the nature of the injury and the issue in the back. It’s a difficult one to pin down, especially time-wise. He’s definitely improving, so that’s a good thing and we’re just working towards that really. There’s not much more I can give at this stage.”
Afternoon, Michael. One player you’ll be familiar with from your previous stint is Harry Maguire. Just wondering what player you now see ahead of you and of course his contract situation – does the club plan to sit down with him in the near future?
“Harry’s an impressive character, he’s had a great career so far. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come. The journey and experiences he’s had since he’s been here and with England certainly show what he is. I think we all know the player that he is and what he’s capable of doing and I thought the other night [at Everton] he was fantastic. Experience helps and his attributes and his character and his willingness to put himself out there. It was really impressive, and he’s been really important for us.”
I saw an interview with your goalkeeper [Senne] Lammens and he said one of the reasons he thinks there’s been an upturn in form is the clarity of messaging coming through. Can you give us an insight into how you convey with each player what you want from them?
“I could talk for quite some time on that in terms of how we want to play and what we want to do for each other, behaviours… all sorts of things come into it. I’ve said it at times over the last few weeks, when you’re putting a team together on the pitch you try to make it as clear as you can. I think clarity is important, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s simple. There’s quite a lot of detail that needs to be put across but I feel we try and do it in a simplistic form, so the players might think it’s simple, but there’s quite a lot of work behind that. That’s always the balance for any coach or manager. You try and give the players as clear a mind as possible so that they know their jobs effectively. It’s a constant balance but the boys have been great and anything we’ve been trying to help them with, implement and give them bits of tips, they’ve been taking it on board ever so well.”
I just wanted to ask about Manuel Ugarte – what does he need to do to get back in the side?
“Manu, I like him a lot, he’s been terrific around the group and I’m hugely impressed with his attitude and how he goes about it and his training qualities. He’s got a lot of good attributes, Manu. When the team is winning, there’s a big upside to that but for one or two boys who aren’t playing it makes it tougher to get in the team. But I think it creates that competition as well, in a real healthy way, to push each other and Manu is desperate to get on the pitch more. He’s doing everything he can in training and he’s a big part of the group, so it’s a case of results and the boys playing so well. There’s going to be times we might need to change things and freshen things up and certainly he’s a big part of that.”
How much input will you have on the decision whether Harry stays or goes? In terms of his experience, you’re losing Casemiro so how important is it to keep that level of experience Harry’s got?
“I think in the squad there’s always that balance, you want the younger potential and that excitement of developing players, younger players. You need that sweet spot in the middle, of players at their peak. You certainly need that in a group, and experience is massive. It’s hard to put a price on how valuable that can be, whether that’s individuals, or experience as a whole group. Harry, as I’ve just said, has gained an awful lot of experience in different ways with this club. Case leaving is another one. He’s experienced and it’s something we’ve got to understand, what that means.”
The Champions League draw took place this morning, I’m certain you’ve got too many other things to do to pay too much attention to it, but does it feel strange being at this club and not being involved?
“It’s certainly where we want to be, but I don’t think we can assume and just take things for granted, that the past is the past and that takes care of what should happen here and now, or next season. You’ve got to kind of earn that and you’ve got to show you’re good enough. I think that’s why when you achieve success it’s warranted to show how tough it is to get. To be honest, at the moment it’s really laser-focused on what’s ahead for us. There’s no point looking elsewhere. We know where we want to be and what we want to do to get there, in terms of performance level. In the games coming up we want to get the right results but looking around what else is going on, in and around Europe, at this point is not going to help us. But it’s certainly where we want to be.”
Harry has started every game since you came in, as you say he was great at Everton on Monday. You were here when he first signed, so you’ve seen him the way through, is he as good as he ever has been?
“There’s a case, I think. As a career goes, when you’re a young player, everything’s fresh and new and you’re fearless – there’s not many scars there. It’s full of excitement and then you get to your peak years, where you feel good and everything is there but you obviously have a few ups and downs along the way. But I think you start getting towards the later times and the experience you’ve gained then makes you a better player. It should make you a better player, learning from that. We’ve seen that in Harry’s performances lately and what he’s brought to the team, and he’s been so important, as well as many others. That’s why experience is important, to use it. I certainly felt it when I was playing. It was probably when I was 30, 31, 32 that was my best years really, of just being at that sweet spot of being able to do it physically still but using the experiences to know what’s coming and [I had] probably seen a bit of everything by that stage, so it’s not a surprise.”
Michael, what’s your thought processes in choosing the same, or a similar, team week after week? How are you managing it?
“It’s definitely something we’re aware of. We’ve just had quite a big break before the last game and there’s a lot more games in terms of squad and rotations, or having to change things for physical reasons and game to game. I think that comes into play and it’s part of the challenge of managing the group. There’s huge positives to it, with the results we’ve had and playing games mostly. That’s a huge positive but there’s certainly a big awareness of how important everyone in the group is, and it’s something we do have to manage. There’s a balance to it but there’s definitely a big positive to the fact we’re in a good run of form. Even though it’s the same players on the pitch I think game to game we’ve changed things, we’ve tweaked things. Some of the front players have played in different positions. Luke [Shaw], for instance, has played in different roles in possession. So it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s copy and paste and we go again, but there’s certainly a feeling of trying to keep the momentum as best we can as well.”
There have been calls for Ben to start after his record off the bench, but there is an argument of why break up a winning formula. Can you leave a player of his ability on the bench and what does it say about his character that he can come on and make as much of an impact as he has?
“I just think the whole thing is a positive, to be honest. It’s certainly not a decision that is one I look to in a negative way. We’re playing well as a team and we’ve been winning games. I’m still not getting carried away and thinking that just carries on. Certainly within the group - and the forward players have scored a good number as a group so far - Ben has been so good in so many ways for us. It’s really not a drama, believe it or not. It’s not a drama, and it just shows how much quality Ben’s got for what he’s produced over the last few weeks. If and when he starts, whether it’s the next game or the one after, I think it is what it is. He’s doing so many good things, as well as the team, so it’s a good position for us to be in.”
Your front three, the false nine didn’t pay off against Everton and West Ham – is that going to prompt a change this week, for Sesko to come in? Why do you think it’s not been as successful in those games?
“I don’t think we’ve played a false nine, to be honest. I think Bryan has played high on the last line for a lot of the time, so I think we’ve played similar players but we’ve played in different ways. Four points from two games is not bad away from home. It’s not so bad and being able to change it from the bench and make things different towards the end of games is a real strength. I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone.”