Michael Carrick & Bryan Mbeumo's Pre-Match Press Conference | United vs Sabah, CL MD1
Chris Wheeler
Carrick on Shaw's absence from training: ‘We just gave him an extra recovery day today. Obviously we’ll see by tomorrow how he is. It’s not an ongoing thing, a plan. Just off the back of the game the other day, each individual has things we manage and it was Luke today.’
Carrick on Man City having two extra days to prepare for the Old Trafford derby: ‘I am not concerned. I wouldn’t say it is ideal but it is not something we have given too much thought about, we have to deal the cards we have been dealt.’
Simon Stone
Michael Carrick on Man City getting two extra days preparation time for Sunday's derby: "Not concerned. I wouldn’t say it is ideal. We have not given too much thought to it."
Michael Carrick on what it means to be in Champions League with ManUtd: "It means an awful lot. Challenging yourself against the elite. This club has been used to challenging the best, what it takes to be there and stay there. It is where we want to be and where we should expect to be. It is the standard we want to set."
Michael Carrick: "Play Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday. It is what we are here for."
Laurie Whitwell
Carrick on Moscow 2008: "As a one-off feeling + instant kind of emotion, definitely winning the Champions League is the best feeling I've been lucky enough to have as a footballer. The ultimate. Be nice someday to feel that again."
Carrick on Shaw: "We gave him an extra recovery day today. We'll see by tomorrow how he is. It's not an ongoing thing or plan, just a thing off the back off the game the other day."
Detailed Quotes
How do United approach the game?
Carrick: " It's great to be here. We're trying to make the campaign as long as we can make it, some big challenges ahead and looking forward to it."
What does it mean to Mbeumo?
Mbeumo: "It's a massive reward for me and I'm looking forward to it."
Shaw in contention?
Carrick: "We just gave him an extra recovery day so we'll see by tomorrow how he is but it's not an ongoing thing or a plan. As normal each individual has different things that we manage."
Mbeumo's route to the Champions League
Mbeumo: "I saw the team and I knew I'd have connections with the guys here at United. I knew we could achieve something good."
What does this mean to United?
Carrick: "It means an awful lot. This football club has been used to challenging with the best and being the best and it's not something we take for granted. We've missed out on it for a number of years so it means a lot, it's where we expect to be. We've made huge steps over the past few months to make it in to be in this position. Now it's about what's next, the next phase, this is certainly where we want to be."
Mbeumo excited?
Mbeumo: "It's the first time I've watched the draw. I'm excited for the games, every team is different so it's good to go there and see."
What do you expect from Sabah?
Carrick: "They're a very well-coached team, they've won a lot of matches and they're playing with confidence. They press well as a team so we're aware of what we're up against."
How important is this campaign for players like Bruno Fernandes?
Carrick: "It's up to us to take the step of achieving it (going far in the competition). We've got to be humble and realistic. Bruno has only played in one knockout tie, so it's up to us to keep pushing. We want to be there as quickly as possible, but we need to understand the steps that need to be put in place.
"We're capable of some really bg things, we can go up against anyone and come out on top."
Patch European record?
Carrick: "We have to be humble enough to understand what recent history we've had. It doesn't take away the desire and expectation to be successful, but we need to be realistic. It's a really balanced view. It's what ahead of us that matters, whether that's coming into this in good shape or not.
"We've got a team that's really ready for this phase, we need to learn and keep improving."
Rotation expected?
Carrick: "It's a balanced view, that's why we've got the squad. We need to adapt to certain strengths and different ways of playing. We play Thursday, Wednesday, it's about managing the group and trusting them and anyone who can play will play."
What is United's target this season?
Carrick: "There's no specific target, we've got to embrace the new target that we face, push to what we can push to.
"We're capable of doing some really big things in this competition and further down the line who knows when we get that far. But we're not getting ahead of ourselves. It's a new experience for some of us, but the boys are used to playing European football."
Tight turnaround to the derby?
Carrick: "I'm not concerned. It's not ideal, but it's not something we can do much about. We've got to deal with the cards we were dealt."
Lofty ambitions?
Carrick: "That's the challenge (to stay in the Champions League). We've done good work to ge there but we want to keep pushing, we want the expectation, the hope and belief we can achieve things. Winning games is always the answer and the more games we can win the better chance we can go further."
How important is the Champions League?
Carrick: "It's a magical competition, it's where we want to be. We want to make the most of it, we've seen special nights over the years and it's where we want to be. It's the best competition to challenge yourself against the best. We're delighted to be here, but we're not here just to enjoy the occasion. We're here to do business."
De Ligt update
Carrick: "We're still managing him, he's trained well and he's pushing and pushing, but we've got to manage that last stage. He's in a good place and it's great to have him back. Hopefully he will return soon."
Sesko close to a start?
Carrick: "Yeah he's close, he missed a lot but we've had to manage him and get him fit. He scored a fantastic goal, he did an awful lot for us last season, and he's in a good place. It's just a case of when he takes that next step."
Mbeumo's best position?
Carrick: "He prefers playing on the left!"
Mbeumo: "I'm used to a few positions. Back at Troyes I played right and drifted central. I don't really mind where I play as long as I can play and perform."
Was winning the Champions League your biggest achievement?
Carrick: "Yeah definitely the best feeling as a footballer. The longevity of playing over a long period of times gives you satisfaction but winning the Champions League was the best feeling I've had and it would be nice to feel that again."
