Carrick: Bruno's had a fantastic season

The head coach was talking in his pre-match press conference ahead of our trip to Bournemouth, a team he expects to put up a tough fight due to their current 10-game unbeaten run.

It's our last game before the international break, followed by an Emirates FA Cup weekend, which sees us without a game for 24 days. The manager also discussed how he's planning to approach that extended break.

Keep scrolling to read, and watch, everything he had to say...

Can we start with some team news? Matthijs [de Ligt], how’s his rehab going?

“Similar really. Frustrating for Matta, he’s obviously trying to work to get back but it’s just the back issue, really, that’s proving difficult. We’ll keep working as hard as we can to get him back as quick as we can.”

Similar for Lisandro [Martinez]?

“Yeah, he’s closer. A lot closer. He’s getting there, so after this one, I think he’ll be alright”

And Patrick [Chinazaekpere] Dorgu?

“A bit further down the line, yeah.”

I’m told there was no [Noussair] Mazraoui in training. Is he okay?

“Yeah, he’s just ill. Just wasn’t feeling too good today.”

And Mason [Mount] was back on the bench, didn’t come on. Is he close to being up for starting or is he already up for starting fitness-wise?

“Starting would be too much, I think, at this point, just for the training time and the exposure he’s had, really. But it’s brilliant to have him back. He’s a fantastic player, Mason, and great to have around the group again. So, [I'm] delighted to have him back and obviously the break coming up now gives him a chance to get even more up to speed, so in some ways, that’s come at a good time for him.”

So, can I ask you about Bournemouth this Friday night? They seem to be the draw specialists at the moment. What you expecting from them on Friday?

“Yeah, I mean, it's a tough game. It's a tough place to go. They're on a really good run of form. So yeah, [a] difficult game, you know, we're obviously going down there. We've had a good run, and the boys are in good shape but yeah, always a difficult game. Always has been and probably always will be. So, we know that, they’re a really good team, well coached, really well coached, and good energy. And so we know we're being for a game down there, Friday."

I know we've asked you a lot about Kobbie Mainoo since you've arrived. I just wonder, since you have been back at the club, what have you made of his actual performances, and what areas do you see, still as a young player, that he can improve on?

“Of course, you can always improve on a lot of things. Just the age he’s at, just for starters, you know, there's so much more to come and develop and then that's just natural. That's not a negative on Kobbie by any stretch, that's just the stage he's at in his career. So, hopefully, he has got a lot of layers to improve and keep developing on that. I think he's done really well. I think, you know, not having a lot of football for a period of time to come in and play a run of games and find your rhythm, I think he did that really quickly and there's a natural kind of a flow really. And I thought he was he was really good again on the weekend and putting in a performance where he did a little bit of everything, really, and controlled the game in spells, defended when he had to defend. Really impressed with him.”

We asked you about Harry Maguire last week and you said you hoped he could get called up for England. With the announcement on Friday, I just wondered about Kobbie and also Luke Shaw. Do you hope they can get themselves back into the England picture? Have you been in touch with Thomas Tuchel?

“No, I haven't been in touch, no. Yeah, listen, for the boys, I'd love to see them picked for this one and obviously picked for the summer. I don't have any influence on that, but certainly, the boys, the way they're playing, I think they've put themselves right in the conversation and right in the picture and given themselves a chance, you know? So, we'll see. I literally don't know any more than you on that one, but the boys, they’re definitely playing well enough to warrant a place, for sure. It's just, it's not my decision. So, we'll have to wait and see."

Michael, I realise this pre-dates you, but the team's won two out of seven away games and obviously, you lost at Newcastle last time, but you got a late goal to get an equaliser at West Ham. Is the away form going to be the key to getting into this Champions League?

“It's just form and results. Whether it's home or away, it's not something we look at too much. I think it's the next game, really. And yeah, of course, we've had some good results at home. That doesn't necessarily mean that that's fixed and we can move on to something else. You know, it's always the next game. And it's been nice to be able to win at home and put that in place, you know, and go and play at Old Trafford with a real feeling of confidence and looking forward to the game. And for the supporters to feel that as well, and leaving with a good feeling. So, there's certainly the element of that. But we're not going with a major difference in preparation or mindset or anything. I think it's [just] the next game. As I just said, I think we know it's a tough place to go anyway. It always has been, but, we're not really separating one game to the next. It's just one game at a time.”

Liverpool and Chelsea are playing like loads of games over this next period. After Friday, you don't play until three weeks on the Monday. How does that work in terms of what the players, who are not away on internationals, do when they come back? Because it just feels almost like a pre-season.

“Yeah, there's no getting away from it, I think the next the next couple of weeks is a real mix for the group. We're not sure, obviously, talking about the England boys there and not sure exactly what kind of numbers we'll have, but we probably won't have many. Yeah, I think most of them will be away, so that means they'll be training and playing games for the most part, so there's definitely that element. And just ends up becoming managing each individual for what they need. Some boys will play games, maybe need a little bit of maintaining the level that they're at. Some boys maybe haven't played games, need a bit more training, Mason coming back. So there's different [situations]. You’ve got to be really flexible, you know, to come off the back of it in good shape. And the boys will have a break, in some way, but we're definitely mindful of it for sure and it's a little bit unique in some ways, having the week after the internationals to prepare for the next game. Normally, it's a rush to get everyone back as quick as possible and get on with things quickly. But we've got a little bit more time this time."

We spoke to you about Bruno Fernandes after the game the other day, but there's been a lot of discussions since about his performances, his form. If you were a player and able to vote, would he get your vote for Player of the Year?

“I think he's had a fantastic season, I have to say. It's not so much [about] who I would vote for, but I'm delighted that he's playing the way he is and having the impact that he is for us, and he's proving to be right up there in those conversations. I'd love to see him take the award, you know, and it says a lot about what's going on at this club and how the team's playing, as well as how well Bruno's playing. So, we'll have to see how that pans out, but really, really pleased with everything that he's doing at the moment.”

The fact that we're talking about him, a successful team. It does feel unusually quiet and calm around here. Is this what it was like during your playing days when you were successful under Sir Alex [Ferguson]?

“I think it just depends what kind of phase you're going through and what it feels like, really, the momentum. And, sometimes, it needs to be calm and a bit stable, and, other times, it needs to be, you know, a little bit on edge and a little bit tetchy and sometimes that brings out the best of you as well. But I mean, yeah, it’s largely been calm in some ways, but actually not calm in the emotion of it, you know, in the feeling of wanting to improve. And the boys, the way they're training and obviously the way they've played, you know, you can't be too calm all the time. But I think trying to be measured and calculated, so making good decisions for me and the staff, and obviously for the players as well, I think it's getting that balance right.”