Carrick echoes Moyes' pressure admission as United slump to 13th in Premier League

Michael Carrick has declared he embraces the pressure of managing Manchester United, just as predecessor David Moyes did in August 2013 — eight months before Moyes was sacked. The parallel emerges as United sit 13th in the Premier League, having won only two of their nine games across all competitions this season.

A 2-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid is the latest in a string of setbacks for Carrick’s side, who also suffered an early Carabao Cup exit to Brighton. The run stands in stark contrast to the 12 wins from 17 games that marked the start of Carrick’s tenure last season and secured a Champions League place.

“I love this part, of sometimes when it’s not quite going for you, you see who’s really there,” Carrick said ahead of the Atlético fixture. “The supporters are there, they’re desperate for it, and we’ve got to give them something. I think you’ve got to embrace the challenges to get to where you want to be. We’re right there now in the middle of it, but totally believe that we’ll work through it.”

The 45-year-old also acknowledged the gap between expectation and reality. “Of course we hoped for a lot more, we’ve expected a lot more. But I was well aware of the chances of going in that direction. Winning as many games as we had, there was going to be a period when it was going to become a little bit more challenging and a little bit sticky.”

The sentiment closely mirrors words Moyes offered in August 2013, shortly after taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson. “I keep hearing David Moyes is under pressure but as long as we play like that I don’t mind at all. I am actually used to being under pressure,” Moyes said at the time. “It seems to suit my nature.”

Moyes was dismissed the following April, with United finishing seventh in the Premier League that season. Carrick, who signed a trio of midfielders in the summer to compete on multiple fronts and improve on last season’s third-place finish, will be acutely aware of how quickly fortunes can turn at Old Trafford.