Michael Carrick at his press conference.

Every word from Carrick's pre-Brentford press conference

Thursday 23 April 2026 18:00

Michael Carrick met with journalists inside our Carrington training base on Thursday afternoon, to preview our upcoming Premier League meeting with Brentford.

The Bees are coming to Old Trafford for a 20:00 BST kick-off on Monday 27 April, as we continue our hunt for UEFA Champions League football next season.

The United head coach provided details on the recoveries of Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu and Leny Yoro, his view on Bruno Fernandes's season and much more.

You can read everything he said below...

Part one: Press conference v Brentford Video

Part one: Press conference v Brentford

Michael Carrick is asked about the squad, clarity over his position and Bruno Fernandes...

First of all, just injury updates, if you wouldn't mind, for Monday?

“To be honest, everything’s alright, as it was. Couple of knocks and niggles a little bit, coming out of the game, that you’d expect. Patrick [Chinazaekpere Dorgu]’s working his way to being back, certainly making good progress and back closer to training with us, which is positive, so that’s good news.”

Leny [Yoro]? Is he back for Monday?

“We’re still working on that one. So, there’s a possibility, there’s a possibility, but at this stage, it’s not 100 per cent sure.”

The cushion you've built to sixth now has naturally led people to look ahead to the summer, whether that be signings or your own future. You've obviously done a fantastic job since arriving in January. I mean, how much would you love to take the role beyond the summer?

“I've said it many times, I enjoy being here, you know? I enjoy the role I'm in. We've had some good results and we're in decent shape. I think there's a lot to go, we still want to keep improving, you know, there's layers that we want to get to, really. I'll see, you know, I'll see. I keep saying the same things in front of you every week, there's only so much I can say in terms of that, but I've said it many times again. I enjoy being here. I love being here. It's a real privilege to be in the position I am, but thriving with the responsibility that we've got.”

When are you expecting clarity?

“I'm not sure, to be honest, and, genuinely, it's not something in terms of deadlines that I'm really chasing. I think it'll become clear when it's going to become clear, and I'm here, at the moment, to help the team and help the club get results. At the moment, we're doing alright. We're doing alright. We can keep pushing and getting better. So really, that's genuinely all I'm focused on right now.”

You talked about enjoying the role so far – I know there's a lot of football to go as well – but so far, what have you enjoyed most about your return so far? Being a player for so long, has any part of the job surprised you?

“I don't necessarily think surprised. I've kind of been here for quite some time and seen quite a lot, some ups and some downs. So, your experience helps you a lot in situations, you know. So, I wouldn't say I've been surprised by it. Working with the players is what I enjoy, and that's a big passion, of helping them develop, and ultimately getting results, and getting results and sharing [it] with the supporters. When you get important wins and big wins and you have moments to enjoy their moments, it's what we're all here for, right, in the end? So got to make the most of them as well.”

Just in terms of the job long term, outside the walls of Carrington, sceptics bring up Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer]'s time at the club and some of the comparisons to your term at the moment. Just wonder [about] your thoughts on that comparison, but also do you find maybe that discussion sometimes disrespectful to your own development as a coach over the last few years, but also to a good friend in Ole as well?

“I don’t think it's disrespectful. I think I've got the utmost respect for him. He's a close friend of mine, so I mean, I worked closely with him when he was here. I was a coach, so I was quite attached to that, and I thought we did a lot of good things really and became close. And in the end, obviously, it changed and it went a different direction. That's football. I think comparisons, you could compare all sorts of different situations and managers and coaches and teams over the years. It just depends on what you want to choose to compare. It's irrelevant, really. It really is. And that's not a negative or a positive. It just doesn't really have any link at all. I think we're a different team now, irrespective of me, who's in charge. It's a different team. It's a different time. So, I don't really think comparisons literally make any difference at all.”

Carrick reveals team news for Brentford clash

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Can I ask you about Bruno? He's many people's favourite to be Player of the Season. And in terms of his attacking stats, he's a mile ahead of pretty much everybody else in terms of goals created, certainly. So, if you can explain to us since you've been in here, when it all seemed to change, exactly what you've facilitated or what the club's facilitated to push him to those levels again?

“Certainly, personally, I think giving Bruno the platform to go and perform, like all the players. I think we're trying to create the structure and a team set-up, really, to try to bring out the best of everyone within that. There are obviously limitations in terms of, everyone's got to sacrifice a little bit for the good of the team. But, for me, I like seeing Bruno in attacking positions with a little bit of freedom. He obviously, again, plays for the team and he has a big responsibility within that and I thought he did that ever so well, especially on Saturday, without the ball, and the defensive work that he did. So, he's got big responsibility within that. But trusting him, you know? He's a very good player, he sees things, he's creative, he's got a really good brain, he's a big part of the group as well and a big influence. So, a lot of it's in trust and trying to put him in a position where we think he can make the biggest difference really.”

I was going to ask you about the various qualities that he's got. Is there any in particular that have impressed you since you've come in, now that you've seen it at closer quarters, and why?

“I've known Bruno a long time and worked with him when he was here, when he came to the club, so again, it hasn't surprised me. I knew exactly what he could bring. I think, over time, you kind of evolve and experience helps and you can certainly see that he's grown as well in a real positive way. So he's just a big influence, he's had a big impact and he's playing ever so well at the moment, so we're delighted with that.”

Since Saturday, [Liam] Rosenior's lost his job. I just wonder, as a new English coach, how you view management at the moment. I was working it out, the time that you were at Middlesbrough, there were 20 managers currently in work who have been in a job longer than you were at Middlesbrough before, and there's been 20 managerial appointments since you've been appointed here. I just wonder how do you do that job? Because you don't get time to build anything in the way that you used to.

“There's obviously two sides to it. There's definitely instant results, and the next game being as important as ever, but there's definitely the responsibility, and certainly our thinking as a coaching staff and as a club of what the future looks like and trying to make that better in the bigger picture. You can only be positive and look to what's achievable. That's how I am. I think there's all sorts of negatives or setbacks or what might [have been] or what ifs in the world anyway. I think I like to live my life in a positive way, in what can be achieved every day, to be honest with you. So, ultimately, at the end, it's some sort of success for us between now and the end of the season and then see what happens after that. But I don't think about what could go wrong. We get balanced, obviously, because we've got to make decisions on that, but I don't live my life like that. It's more of a case of what can be achieved, I think that's a much nicer way and positive way to look at it.”

Does it not affect your thinking though when you know that in two months' time if results don't go well, not you specifically, but a manager can be at the job just over a very short space of time?

“Not massively, it doesn't. Day-to-day, my thinking is how we work with the players, how we set teams up, how I approach it, my mentality to work in the role I'm in – it genuinely doesn't [enter my thinking]. I think that it's the world we live in some ways, but I really don't think like that. I just keep thinking about what we can achieve, what success looks like for me personally in some ways, but more about the group, the staff, the players, and the club. I think that's the most important thing. It's such a big difference, half full, half empty, what do you focus on? Some people naturally focus on different things. For me, it's all about what we can achieve and how we're going to get there.”

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