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“It’s always a tough place to come,” says Marco Silva. “I understand your question about Michael Carrick coming in, but it doesn’t matter who is in the dugout … the last two games can give them the good feelings and the confidence … but we have to handle that. We will look at ourselves. If we can play our game, we are capable of creating problems for Manchester United too.”
Jamie Jackson
About 12.30pm I caught Steve Crompton, of the 1958, a Manchester United fan group, at the the junction of Sir Matt Busby Way and Chester Road, about their latest protest, which is directed at Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the largest single minority owner, in addition to the Glazers, the majority proprietors.
In a nutshell, 1958 want Ratcliffe and the six American siblings out. He was asked what the club might look like if Ineos chief executive and the Glazers still controlled it in a decade’s time.
“Disneyland? Right. That’s exactly where he’s heading. And in fairness, this isn’t just Man United. You know, football in general is heading the wrong way. Absolutely wrong way. The Americanisation of the sport is happening in front of our eyes, and it’s how it stopped, I don’t know.”
There is a fan protest occurring at Old Trafford and Jamie Jackson is our man on the scene …
“Bryan’s got an eye for goal,” says Manchester United interim manager Carrick of Mbeumo. “His movement’s really good, he’s a combination player, as well as a threat in behind. I think it was just a really good mix for the first two games [City and Arsenal] … we’ve got options, it’s great to have options, and flexibility across the front line … Bryan’s done fantastic. Him and Bruno [Fernandes] have had a really good link-up and the goals have had a big impact for us.”
How does Carrick keep the players focused with all the “outside noise”?
“I think it’s important, when you’re inside here, inside the football, I think it’s all pretty calm and quiet, really. Whatever goes on outside, we can’t let that affect us, and it hasn’t. We’ve spoken about it a little bit but it’s more about what we want to do to be at our best, that’s all our “brain space” is focused on. And it has to be like that.”
He adds that Mason Mount took a little knock in training but will be back “very, very soon.”
“He’s one of those managers who wants players to run,” pundit Ashley Young says of Sean Dyche, who was just interviewed before Nottingham Forest’s home tie against Crystal Palace, also kicking off at 2pm.
As opposed to one of those managers who wants players to have a nice little lie-down, I guess.
Manchester United v Fulham teams
There is one change to the home lineup: Matheus Cunha in for the injured Patrick Dorgu, who scored a screamer last weekend. Cunha is more than capable of a screamer himself, of course.
One change for Fulham too: Kevin on the bench, Samuel Chukwueze in the starting side.
Manchester United: Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Mainoo, Diallo, Fernandes, Cunha, Mbeumo. Substitutes: Bayindir, Mazraoui, Zirkzee, Malacia, Yoro, Ugarte, Heaven, Sesko, Lacey.
Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Iwobi, Berge, Chukwueze, Wilson, Smith Rowe, Jimenez. Substitutes: Lecomte, Tete, Bassey, Reed, Cairney, Kusi-Asare, Kevin, King, Sessegnon.
Referee: John Brooks (Leicestershire)
Preamble
Manchester United are back: unbeaten in the Premier League since the departure of Ruben Amorim early last month, since when they’ve drawn with Burnley, and beaten Manchester City and Arsenal. Michael Carrick arrived as interim manager before the 2-0 win against City, and last Sunday’s 3-2 triumph away at the Gunners raised general excitement to Cristiano-Ronaldo-re-signing levels.
The club remains a basket case, of course, and whoever comes in as manager on a permanent basis in the summer will face the same intractable issues experienced by Amorim during his brief and ill-fated reign. In the meantime we can sit back and enjoy Carrick, a man that knows the club, refocusing the troops and getting a bit more from a capable and extremely well remunerated squad.
Fulham are seventh and Manchester United are sixth, and a 1-0 defeat against Leeds on 17 January is the only time Marco Silva’s side have been beaten since mid-December. This is football! Let’s go!
Kick-off: 2pm UK time
