Every word from Erik's press conference

The Reds have suffered back-to-back losses over the last week, but will be hoping to bounce back on Merseyside, as we prepare to face Jurgen Klopp's table-toppers.

Talking to journalists at Carrington, Erik spoke on which players he expects to welcome back this weekend, as well as looking ahead to the task facing his players on Sunday afternoon.

Scroll down to both read, and watch, everything the boss had to say in front of the media...

Hi Erik, just to start with Harry [Maguire] and Luke [Shaw]. Do you have a timescale and or any update on their returns?
''Harry, he will not be available for the coming games, but we don't think it is for the long term. Luke Shaw, he trained this morning. So we think he is available for Sunday.''

And in terms of the rest of the team news, you seem to have to have a lengthy absentee list. Is there anybody else who will be back from illness or injury?
''Yes, Marcus Rashford. He will [be back].''

[Anthony] Martial?
''Martial [will] not.''

Do you know who your captain will be on Sunday, without Bruno Fernandes?
''Yes, I know.''

Will you tell us?
''No.''

Going back to the Anfield game last season, it was obviously a bad day. The win-percentage for the team has seemed to drop drastically, as of late, compared to before it. Do you think there has been a psychological effect from that defeat?
''I think everyone knows we have to be highly motivated when you go to Anfield. It is a great place to go and you know it is going to be tough. I think that is something which every top footballer wants, to have that challenge. You have to look forward and of course, last year, we have it in our memory, but you have to take the benefit from it. Learn from it. On Sunday, we can prove that.''

Erik, you will know managers are ultimately judged by their results of their teams. What gives you the confidence that you have the backing of everyone here in the group still, despite the difficult run of results you have had this season?
''I feel that, yeah. And they tell me that [they are behind me]. But actually, that is fine, that is okay. But I am focusing on the process and to make this team play better. [I am] focusing on making the individuals better. That is my concern and that is all that I am doing, focusing on the right things: the team.''

So you can't get distracted by things like your job or whatever, perhaps that you might lose your job?
''That is no concern because I am here to win. I am here to win and I have to make the team play better. I have to make them play good, but, like I say, good is not good enough. Now we are inconsistent, so I have to work on making the team play better for longer periods, at a higher level.''

Erik you brought Rasmus [Hojlund] in for a lot of money, and he has not scored in the Premier League. I know he has scored in the Champions League, but are you giving him enough support? Are the team giving him enough support because he doesn't look like he is going to score at the moment?
''As you said, he has scored at the highest level. Champions League, five goals, is massive for the performance of a young player. I don't think there are so many young players who can do that, he has the potential. We recognise that and we are sure he will get there. He will go and score in the Premier League, I see how he is working in training. We have to work on our attacking game and he has had his opportunities. The team have brought him to the right place, but it can always be better. As you say, he has not scored so far in the Premier League. So we have to work on that.''

Erik how much do you envy Liverpool because, at the moment, they are top of the league, they have only lost once, they have been able to rest players unlike yourselves. They haven't got as many injuries. How much do you envy them because perhaps they are where you want to be?
''They are playing good, [there is] no doubt. But we have had some tough games in the last period, as Bayern [Munich] is also a very tough team. We have seen that we can go head-to-head with them and that is our challenge for Sunday as well.''

Do you worry yet? Are you a manager who starts to worry with the injuries and the trip to a team like Liverpool. Are you a worrier?
''We will put out a team who can challenge, who is confident to win that game. We are preparing the team in the best way we can. We are confident we can put out a team who can win there.''

Hi Erik, given the 7-0 humiliation there last year. A lot of people are asking me: 'Do you think Erik or the team would take a 1-0 or 2-0 defeat with no embarrassment'. Obviously, you do not want that, but how can you stop your players from being scared of that happening again? Because it surely has to still be in their heads?
''I didn't see last season that we were scared there.''

But that was before the 7-0, so now since that has happened?
''It was a bad experience. But it is not similar, you start again on null. Last season, in the first half, I think we played very decent and we had got hammered just after half-time. Then we collapsed. Yes, that can't happen, but that was last year. It was a different team with different players, for a part at least. We will not ignore it but we go there and we will be confident and I know my players will be confident to go there from the start to the end. We have to fight there, we have to challenge there and you go there with the idea. So we will prepare them with the idea to win there.''

Have you watched it back. Will you show it to them or have you shown it to them? Will you point things out maybe to learn from it?
''We know that. I don't think it is the right thing [to do]. It was last year and it is in the past. We can change the future and Sunday is a new game.''

Hi Erik, it is going to be a frantic hostile atmosphere. How important is it that the players keep a cool head and how important is leadership in that situation?
''We talked about this issues in the last few weeks many times. These players proved they can deal with that. On Sunday, that is the next challenge and that is our demand and we have to do it repeatedly on a consistent basis. That is our challenge, but we will go for that.''

Clearly, you will have wanted to be in the Champions League in the new year, but now you are not and you are out of Europe entirely, can it be a benefit to you moving forward that you will have more time on the training field. You will have a less frantic schedule and that might help injuries alleviate. Can you turn that into a positive going forward?
''Yes, I think the way you have described it, that is true. We have had so many injuries in the first part of the season, but now we have less games the load will be less. So that can give players an opportunity to recover and also [to have] more time on the training pitch. That means we can also be fresher in the games.''

So it can boost your hopes of a top-four finish, you think?
''Of course. That is the target.''

Hi Erik, good to see you again. The press officer asked me to do the question in English, so I will try. Could you explain to the Dutch viewers why you are known as a coach and as a manager who is capable of having a philosophy and teaching the players to do the game you want. But now somehow with United, it is far more complex. It makes United a nice beautiful club, but also a complex club?
''It is similar Martin, it is not complex. We also play 11 v 11 and we play, I think, very good games, very good performances. Also, [in] the last weeks against Chelsea and against Everton. In Galatasaray, for long spells of the game, and against Bayern Munich, where we were very disciplined. I am not so sure if your analysis is correct. We are working here on a typical style, what I am always working on. But you need the players that have that consistency, in [the team]. To get the routines in, you don't want to swap your team every time and that [has] not been the case. Especially, we had this in the backline and on the left side, left centre-half, left full-back. Every time, we have to swap there and that is not improving the routines. That is what you need here and at this club. At Ajax, you have to win and, here, you have to win, always. It is the demands and for those demands, you can never run away and I never run away. I have an obligation to win every game because our squad is good enough, the players in the squad are good enough to put out a team to win every game.''

Is it then the history of this club that makes it so tough? The expectations?
''That is the expectations that are normal. That is what you know and you know the effect. When you start a game, you don't think about the expectations, you think about winning the game. When you start a season, you do not think about that effect because you know the targets will be high. You have to construct a team which is very good and so you have to work on all the moments in the football, you have to be top of the bill in any moment.'' 

Can you give the Dutch people a good Christmas message that you don't depend on the job against Liverpool about your position? Can you promise them that you will be here still?
''I am not concerned about that, I want to win. I want to win with my team and progress the team in the right direction. You are here in a project. Last season, we were absolutely in the right direction but the project here right now, we haven't matched the standards we expect to have. That is the truth. Still, we are in the project and we have a setback, but we can still do everything to win this season. On the longer term, definitely, as on the future at Man United is very good. If you see how many good players we have in this squad, how many good young players we have here in the squad who have a really high potential to play top level worldwide, but we have to develop that. I am sure when the injuries are getting back, the team will perform better.''