Carrick calls for more clean sheets as United prepare for Champions League trip to Como
Michael Carrick, speaking at a pre-match news conference at the rain-lashed Giuseppe Sinagaglia stadium in Como on Tuesday, said Manchester United need more clean sheets after their 1-1 draw at Leeds. He accepted the criticism directly, telling reporters: "You're dead right. I can't argue with that."
United have kept the opposition out only once in 10 games this season, that solitary shutout coming against Azerbaijan champions Sabah FK last month. Carrick recorded six clean sheets in his 17 matches in charge last term, including two in the final three games, whereas his predecessor Ruben Amorim oversaw just two clean sheets all season as part of a total of nine in 63 games. The article contrasted that run with Arsenal, who have seven clean sheets in 11 matches this season and face Bayern Munich in Germany on Wednesday.
Continuity in selection has been rare under Carrick; only once has he been able to name the same back four, when Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw started the victory against Ipswich at Old Trafford on 30 August and retained their places for the trip to Everton the following week. That solitary run of four unchanged starters stands out amid the rotation and injuries Carrick faces.
Carrick described his fitness update as "a mixed bag" and said Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt was "fit and ready" after 11 months on the sidelines with the back injury that required surgery in May. De Ligt was on the bench at Leeds when Martinez went off with a thigh injury that prevented him travelling to Italy, and Carrick selected Noussair Mazraoui, usually a full-back, for the central role. United's defensive options are further reduced with Leny Yoro ruled out through suspension.
Shaw remains unavailable and Carrick warned the left-back will be out for "a little bit longer" than the 10 days Kobbie Mainoo is going to miss, a situation that could keep Shaw sidelined until after the November international break. When Diogo Dalot lined up at left-back against Leeds he became the fifth different player to start there for United in six games, and Harry Amass could become the sixth.
The failure to sign a specialist back-up for Shaw has been levelled at Carrick and sporting director Jason Wilcox, with some sympathy for Wilcox from agents who believed the budget he was given was insufficient. There is a view that the £50m spent to acquire Andrey Santos from Chelsea might have been used differently; Santos was sitting next to Carrick as he spoke to the media on Tuesday, and Carrick defended the summer work, saying: "When we've got injuries at different stages, we can always look at what could have been done and where we could have improved. I spoke to you about making the best of the transfer window in the situation we had. This man next to us [Santos] was a big part of that. I'm delighted to have him. We had to make decisions in the summer. We did what we could do and made the best of it."
There has also been debate around the use of young players at left-back: sources suggested Lisandro Martinez's post-match outburst after the defeat by Atletico Madrid was partly linked to 20-year-old Ayden Heaven playing there, while others noted Heaven spent more time at left-back than at centre during his youth days at Arsenal. Coaching staff reportedly questioned whether 19-year-old Harry Amass was ready for a starting role; his only appearance this season was an 18-minute substitute cameo against Sabah. Carrick defended Amass and other prospects, saying: "He's right in contention. At some point, young players need an opportunity. It's just finding the right time. Sometimes it's because there's an unfortunate thing happened to somebody else. Sometimes it's just you're doing so well we have to give you a chance. All the young players are in a similar boat. There's maybe four, five, or six of them trying to make that next step in terms of getting into the team and trying to start games, and Harry's definitely one of them."
United travel to face Como in the Champions League on Wednesday.
