Every phrase of Michael Carrick’s six-minute speech to Man Utd followers – ‘we have misplaced our means’

Michael Carrick began his Manchester United press conference with a six-minute passionate speech where he reminded his players that the club was “built on hard work, and we should never forget that”

Michael Carrick launched into a six-minute emotional rant during his Manchester United press conference on Friday afternoon – telling fans the club has “lost its way”. He’s under the microscope after just two victories in his first 11 matches.

And is feeling the heat after Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned the tactics, pointing the finger at Carrick himself. But on Friday, in an unusual move, the United boss launched straight into his own statement without fielding any questions first.

The former player turned manager didn’t shy away from their woeful recent form, but insisted his players needed to step up, highlighting how the club’s legends have always put the team first.

He said: “I think it’s important… recently we haven’t had a good time I think that’s obvious, I totally accept that. We had five months of relative success and I was happy with many things I was seeing,” reports the Mirror.

“We haven’t done well enough recently. Wednesday was a bad night for a lot of reasons, it really hurt a lot, it hurt me to see how the game panned out. As I said after the game, it was unacceptable. The supporters are a big part of this football club.

“And to see the supporters have to make the effort and spend their time and money to come and support us on Wednesday and have the feeling after the game we all felt… It was a tough moment.

“My responsibility is to get a team on the pitch that the supporters can identify with, and we have gone away from that recently and we need need to something about it.

“I think it’s important that we all recgonise that, I certainly recognise it. Our supporters are of the upmost importance to me and this football club.

“And for them to feel like they did for five months at the start of the year and for us to have that connection – that vigour, intensity and passion that we all felt through that period is something we need to get back to.

“And we will get back to it, I fully believe that. But I think it’s important that we recognise we haven’t been doing that. The foundations and values of this football club have been put down and etched for many years.

“I understand every single one of them. It comes down to being humble and working hard and being proud of living up to those values. There’s a resilience about this football club that has been shown for a long, long time.

“If that’s bouncing back from adversity, if that’s comebacks, late goals, success, sustaining success… In this football club that runs very, very deep.

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I’ve felt it. I’m aware of some of the individuals who have been a big part of that history. I said it after the game, Manchester United is always bigger. It always has been and always will be.

“It will always be bigger than any individual, bigger than me, bigger than any of the players. It was never about Ryan Giggs, it was never about Ryan Giggs, it was about Manchester United. Wayne Rooney, the greatest goalscorer in the club’s history, he played for team.

“Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest manager in the club’s history…Sir Matt [Busby] and Sir Bobby [Charlton], their resilience was beyond belief what they showed and how they rebuilt this football club. It was built on hard work, and we should never forget that.”

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