Michael Carrick admits Manchester United have “lost our way” but outlined his belief that he will turn things around during an emotional speech that called for players to embody the club’s traditions.
The 45-year-old’s position is hanging in the balance after Wednesday’s calamitous 4-1 Champions League loss at Como extended their winless streak to a seventh match in all competitions – the club’s worst run of form since 2015.
Carrick will take charge of Sunday’s Premier League fixture at home to Bournemouth but there is a sense that it may only prove a stay of execution for the United head coach.
But the former midfielder will not go down without a fight and began Friday’s press conference with a defiant address lasting five minutes and 36 seconds, expressing his confidence that he will get things back on track.
“The foundation of this football club and the values of this this football club have been put down and etched for many, many years,” Carrick said during the monologue. “And I totally understand, and I get every single one of them.
“It comes down to humility. It comes down to being humble. It comes down to being hardworking and being really proud to work hard and being proud to live up to those values.
“There’s a resilience about this football club that’s been shown for a long, long time.
“Whether that’s bouncing back from adversity, whether that’s comebacks, whether that’s late goals, whether that’s success, whether that’s sustaining success, there’s a resilience in this football club that runs very, very deep.”
Carrick says United will always be bigger than any individual, pointing to Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson before talking about how the club rebuilt after the Munich air disaster in 1958.
“Going back to Sir Matt (Busby), Sir Bobby (Charlton), the resilience was beyond belief of what they showed, and the way they rebuilt this football club and, again, it was based on being humble, having humility, and hard work,” he continued.
“We can never lose that, and I won’t let us lose that. We’ve had it for a spell. I feel very strongly about that.
“I think it inspires me a lot to live up to that and keep driving that with the players in the group that we have. We’ve shown it for a good period of time and that we’re capable of it.
“We’re in a moment where it’s not gone well, so we need to show exactly what it means and, you know, respect this football club. Respect what it takes to be here, respect what it takes to win, what you have to do to win.
“I’m not entitled to be here. Entitlement cannot be at this football club.
“We’ve won in the past, we’ve got an incredible history, but that doesn’t mean that you’re entitled to just win. I’m fully aware of that.
“It takes hard work. It takes a lot of sacrifice. You’ve got to invest yourself in the football club, and you’ve got to do a lot of things that maybe aren’t so nice but you’ve got to do it for each other, and you’ve got to win.
“I think it’s important we live up to that, and it’s important for me to push those values, and it’s important for our supporters to feel that moving forward.
“We’ve had it. We’ve kind of lost our way a little bit, if I’m totally honest, and we’ll get it back. I’m totally convinced we’ll get it back.”
Carrick’s pain at recent results and his desire to kick on was palpable during a stirring address as speculation swirls over his future.
“It is my responsibility whatever goes on the pitch, what we are as a group and what we look like and what we feel like,” he said.
“I’ll hold that umbrella for me to get wet and for everyone else to stay dry. You know, that’s the position I’m in, and it’s a privileged position.
“Discussions are going on, getting the players in a good frame of mind and well organised to put in a good performance on Sunday.”
Asked if he is confident he can still turn things around at United, Carrick said: “Yeah, 100 per cent.”
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