Carrick dismisses Neville's unprofessionalism claim with four blunt words

Michael Carrick brushed aside Gary Neville’s damning public accusation that several Manchester United players are behaving unprofessionally off the pitch, offering a four-word response at his pre-match press conference ahead of United’s trip to Chelsea on Saturday.

Neville had sparked controversy following United’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth last Sunday, claiming on his podcast that “a few” members of the squad were not going to bed at the right time, not eating properly, and failing to live and breathe the club. “Some of those players, I can’t believe the lack of standards,” the former United captain said. “There was a banner in the first half held up in the Stretford End — ‘standards.’ They went a long time ago.”

When asked directly whether he had witnessed any unprofessional behaviour since returning to the club in January, Carrick was unequivocal. “No, I haven’t, no,” he said. Pressed on whether Neville’s public broadside surprised him, the United manager replied simply: “Gaz says a lot of things.”

Carrick is under significant pressure heading into the Chelsea fixture. United have won just two of their 12 games this season, a run that has seen them eliminated from the Carabao Cup, drop two of their opening three Champions League matches, and slide to 16th in the Premier League table. The defeat to Bournemouth extended their winless streak to eight games.

Despite the turbulent run of form, Carrick insists the squad’s confidence can be restored. “Just because you lose a game or you have a bad day, that doesn’t mean it’s the end of a player’s career or an end of a team’s road,” he said. “It’s always what’s next and you can always make a difference.”

The Old Trafford hierarchy have so far resisted calls to dismiss Carrick, though the Chelsea game is widely viewed as a pivotal test of whether that patience will hold.