Carrick: The boys have had a good week

The boss discussed the mood around the squad during the second part of his press conference, previewing our upcoming game against Leeds United at 20:00 BST on Monday.

He also provided answers on Kobbie Mainoo's contract, the recently announced new deal for Harry Maguire, and why securing UEFA Champions League football for next season is important.

Read, or watch, everything Carrick had to say below...

The Old Trafford project has been in the headlines over the last few weeks. I just wanted to get your opinion on it. Still some fans are quite hesitant about the move, the legacy, because of the atmosphere and the feeling. You've obviously played many games there yourself. What's your opinion on the situation at the moment?

“To be honest, there's not really much opinion to have. I think as a club, you're always looking to evolve, you're always looking to improve things, you always want to put ourselves in a better place moving forward and future-proof the football club - whether that's training grounds, stadiums, supporters, relationships, all connections. So, there's always work that goes on. The stadium, obviously, is a huge deal, you know, and we love the place, have great memories there. It is what it is. Sometimes it evolves and things change and it doesn't take away from what's been there before or what's there present. It's just trying to improve things and make things better, really.”

Have you seen the graphics and whatnot and what it could look like and what have you thought about it? Because it looks very impressive.

“I'll be totally honest with you, I've not delved into that one just yet. There'll be time to at some point, but really, at this moment, it's not something, from our side of things, that we're thinking about too much.”

I think when these two teams last met, you were on a beach somewhere. Does it show how much football can change in a very short period of time that we are where we are now? It was only in January, of course, 1-1 at Elland Road.

“Yeah, it can change quick, yeah. That's just the way the game goes, you can be in, you can be out, or results can go one way, can go the other way, players are fit and in-form, the game flips, and that's why we can never take anything for granted, and you kind of live in the present and what's coming up next week and keep trying to improve. Yeah, I only went and played Elland Road once, it was a League Cup game many years ago, so I’ve not really actually taken part in the fixture an awful lot, but watched it over the years from afar from previous, and to be involved in it now is pretty special.”

Did you watch it in Barbados?

“I watched a bit of the game, yeah, actually.”

When it finished and after the game, of course, was there any thought in your head at that stage what might transpire beyond then?

“No, not particularly. No, I think, obviously I watched the games and supported from afar, but no, I think, yeah, there wasn't really any sign of it at that stage, so I was supporting from afar and enjoying time with the family, really.”

During the international break, your players have really spoken about your impact at the club and have publicly backed you for the job. Does that matter to you, their opinions, and do you think it will matter in terms of the long term as well and the decisions that have to be made at the club?

“I think the most important thing for me about all that, I think, is that we're all pulling in the same direction, and whatever's said, it's going to be said, whatever. But I think the feeling, the willingness to do things together and to be positive, to be in a good place where we're positive and hopefully winning games, and for me, that's the biggest thing really. And after that, things will kind of get solved in one way or the other, but I think it's nice, obviously, for the boys to feel so positive and in a good frame of mind, that they're enjoying the football and obviously we want that to continue as much as possible.”

Have you seen a big difference in body language and demeanour over this period, that you've been from the very start to now, preparing for this game? Are there big differences in what you're seeing on the training pitch?

“I wouldn't say a big difference. I have to say since we came in, and I said it straight away, I think that the squad, the mood, the attitude to want to do well for each other and actually want to do well for the club and the supporters, I could sense that straight away. I think the boys have particularly had a good week going away for a few days and there was a freshness about the group which was really good to see. A good energy and a good kind of real positive spark, really. So, we need to carry that on but we've used the week as best as we could, and I think we're in a good place for it.”

Just on the input you’ve had on contract decisions. Obviously, since you came back in, Casemiro, that announcement was made, the Harry [Maguire] announcement was made. Is it fair to say now that with Jadon [Sancho] and Tyrell [Malacia], they will be released in the summer? And with Tom Heaton, is that going to be the same for him, or could he stay on?

“I think coming to the summer, there's contracts, there's all sorts of things that need [to be] sorted out. But at this stage, it's not been sorted out just yet, so I think we'll cross that bridge a little bit further down the line, but it's great to have Harry sorted and clarity in that situation. Case was a little bit kind of, it was before me really, so I wasn't particularly involved in that, but I think as time goes, everything ends up getting sorted out and we're just not at that stage where anything else is sorted just yet.”

You're in third place, seven points ahead of Chelsea who are sixth. Top five gets Champions League, we know that now. Has it gone better than you hoped? I know you haven't done it yet, but in terms of so far, you know, you beat Arsenal, you beat City. A bit of a dream maybe?

“Yeah, no, they're certainly coming in, you know, with particularly the first two games and the situation, you know, I'm pretty optimistic and pretty positive and always thinking about what we can do. We obviously know in the back of your mind what it can look like and what direction it can go in, but it was literally just being positive and attacking the next game and going with it and then seeing where we could go and we're still at the same stage. Just because we've maybe got a bit of a points difference to certain teams below us, there's a points difference to certain teams ahead of us as well, so it depends how you look at it. But we're certainly not looking at it backwards to say how it's been or how great it's been or whatever like that. It's always about what's next really and finishing the season strong. As much as we're looking, you know, obviously trying to qualify for the Champions League and what's behind us, we're definitely still looking at how many points we can achieve moving forward as well for the teams ahead of us.”

Given that you are going to play Liverpool and Chelsea in these next seven games, the position you’re in, would it be fair to characterise it as a failure if you didn't qualify for top five now?

“Strong word.”

You're an elite professional, aren’t you? This is the name of the game.

“I mean, we take where we are. Listen, as a club, we want to be challenging right at the top, there's no getting away from that. But I think there's steps and being realistic as well and talking about where we came in and where we are now and just keep building on that. I think the boys are in a good place, squad’s in a good place, we keep pushing forward. The club seems to be in a really good place in terms of the supporters, really positive and enjoying it, which is important, and we're just trying to keep pushing and keep progressing as we go.”

So you’d accept sixth position?

“I didn't say that. No, I wouldn't accept it, no. I wouldn't accept it, but it's not so much accepting it, it's about trying to finish as high as you possibly can, you know, and we'll see how we get on.”

Champions League is obviously the target now. This time last year, Ruben [Amorim] was sat in that chair and he'd be telling us about, in terms of the summer market, that there was a plan in place for if they did qualify for the Champions League and plan if they didn't. I wondered, is that the case now and how different does it look depending on those two outcomes?

“Yeah, listen, there's obviously work that's going into planning for the summer, there has to be. There's no two ways around that. But in terms of two plans, I'm not going to delve into the detail too much. I think it's pretty obvious to everyone to understand if you finish certain places in the league and financially it makes a lot of difference to if you don't. So, I think that's pretty obvious. But there's certainly work going on in terms of what can be done and trying to move forward and improving the squad and making the best of what we've got.”

You only have to look at the league table and the results to see that you've been good for Manchester United, but has it been good for you as well? I mean, after the disappointment of Middlesbrough, you've shown over the last few months that you're a manager that can manage right at the very top of the Premier League.

“Yeah, I haven’t really give it thought in that way. I think it’s just keep working and keep improving, really, and loving this place. And, as I've said already, for me, it's the ultimate job to be in this role, and kind of whatever's gone in the past, it's all experience, you learn from it, just because you have a bit of a setback doesn't mean necessarily you can't then achieve. And it's the same way, just because you've achieved a little bit doesn't necessarily mean you keep achieving. So, I think it's about keep pushing and learning and changing and evolving, and experience definitely does that. The experience for me at Middlesbrough was huge and really positive in so many ways, to be honest. So, I'll keep trying to take that as well as the experience of being here for so long. It all comes together in that pot, really, that you kind of draw on and trying to use when you need it.”

Michael, I know you said earlier that there's nothing immediate to announce on contracts, but are you confident that Kobbie Mainoo will sign a new deal as well?

“Obviously, we'd like to think so, yeah, and it's getting closer, so you know we're positive with that. We're calm with it, but we're positive with it, and time will tell how it goes, but at the moment we're in a good place with it.”

I know you're still in Champions League as well in terms of recruitment. How important is Champions League to maybe keep hold of some of your players, because I know there's been so much interest in the past in someone like Bruno Fernandes. Is it important that you're in the Champions League, so that you can reward him and keep him with the club really?

“I think Champions League just brings so many positive things, and it's where we want to be, there’s no getting away from that, and that has ramifications for so many different things, whether that's players staying, if it is that, if it's players coming in. It's, financially, all sorts of different things. It's where we want to be, you know, and we need to try and get used to being in there more often.”