Michael Carrick cautions Manchester United not to overlook Fulham.
Michael Carrick has stated that it would be “completely unacceptable” for Manchester United to underestimate Fulham following their notable victories against Manchester City and Arsenal.
Carrick has commenced his interim tenure with wins over the top two teams in the Premier League. He aims to secure a third consecutive victory when Fulham comes to Old Trafford on Sunday.
The former United midfielder has issued a caution ahead of the clash with Marco Silva’s team.
“I believe the players are in a good mindset heading into the match,” Carrick mentioned during a news conference on Friday. “It’s a challenging game, a tough test, and I think Marco has developed Fulham into a very competent side.
“Suddenly, it becomes a different match; it’s Fulham. Just because we are playing at home, taking anything for granted is completely unacceptable.”
Carrick has received a boost with the return of Joshua Zirkzee, who has resumed training after being sidelined for the last two matches due to injury.
Matthijs de Ligt remains unavailable, and Patrick Dorgu will also be out after sustaining a hamstring injury during the 3-2 victory at the Emirates.
“Unfortunately, Pat is going to be out for a while,” Carrick remarked. “It’s disappointing as he has been in excellent form over the past few weeks.
“We were uncertain if it was cramp or something more serious, and currently, it appears to be something more serious. It will be a few weeks. How many weeks, we will have to wait and see.”
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Dorgu’s injury is a setback for Carrick, especially after the Denmark international scored against both City and Arsenal.
With three days remaining in the transfer window, United may consider entering the market to enhance the squad, and Carrick has left the possibility open for activity before Monday’s deadline.
“I think we are just navigating through it,” he stated.
“Never say never, as a lot can occur and situations can arise. Sometimes it is within our control, sometimes it is not. I remain quite calm, and we have demonstrated [against City and Arsenal] what we are capable of as a team.
“We’ll have to see what the next few days hold.”
