Mainoo calls on United teammates to fight for Carrick amid nine-game winless run

Kobbie Mainoo has called on his Manchester United teammates to stand behind head coach Michael Carrick as the club prepares to host Roma at Old Trafford in the Champions League, with United having gone nine games without a win this season.

The 21-year-old midfielder, returning from a four-game absence after a cameo appearance at Chelsea on Saturday, said the players owe it to Carrick to repay his efforts to shield the squad from external criticism.

“I feel like our way to repay that is to also be behind the manager on the pitch and off it, and fight for us and fight for us as a team,” Mainoo said. “It’s been a tough season. We haven’t had the results we wanted, but we need to look forward now. There are big, big games ahead, and I feel like we’re one win away from changing that.”

Carrick has attempted to protect his players throughout a difficult run that has yielded just two wins in 13 games, but his patience was tested after a Champions League defeat to Como last month. That result also exposed divisions within the squad, with Lisandro Martinez publicly criticising the club’s hierarchy and Bruno Fernandes taking aim at Carrick’s tactical decisions.

Mainoo missed the Como defeat and was also absent for the 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth, a game in which the Stretford End turned on the players at full-time and supporters unveiled a banner reading simply ‘Standards’. The academy graduate acknowledged the frustration from the stands but insisted the players understand the weight of representing the club.

“In these tough times you can’t expect the fans 100,000% of the time to be happy and cheering when we’re not putting out results,” he said. “And we owe it to them to put the results out there for them to cheer again.”

Mainoo, who has come through United’s academy, said he feels a personal responsibility to uphold the club’s values and pass them on to those around him.

“I’ve been at this club for a long time and I know there’s always going to be ups and downs,” he added. “It’s never going to be plain sailing and smooth to the top. So you expect bumps and what the best thing about them is you’re able to bounce back from them.”

Carrick faces mounting pressure ahead of the Roma fixture, with United’s early-season form leaving them in a precarious position in both the Premier League and the Champions League.