Carrick refuses to accept criticism over United's fitness levels

Manchester United's interim manager dismissed concerns related to the team's physical conditioning, despite a worrying performance at Fulham over the weekend.

The red devils could only manage a one-all draw at Craven Cottage, with an own goal from Lisandro Martínez putting the hosts ahead. A late equalizer from Matheus Cunha in the 89th minute prevented an even more disappointing outcome for a United side already going through difficult times.

Shortly after the match, Cunha pointed to Fulham's superior performance, particularly in the early stages of the second half, commenting that the Londoners "showed more energy" during that period. The player's analysis was underlined by data revealing a significant difference: Fulham's players covered 6 kilometres more during the match.

Faced with these considerations, Carrick rejected any suggestion that physical fitness was a problem. The team's manager emphasized his contrasting perspective after watching the performance, stressing that he was "very satisfied with the way we finished the game" and that the team "pressed consistently" until the final whistle. For the manager, fitness does not represent a concerning issue.

The result leaves United in an awkward position in the table, with only five points after five matches. This tally represents the club's worst league start since 2014, keeping them in 12th place.

While acknowledging that the season's opening has proven "far from ideal," Carrick valued the collective response at a critical moment. A second consecutive defeat — following elimination from the League Cup against Brighton on Wednesday — could have significantly worsened the situation, making the point earned especially relevant.

The manager viewed the result as part of a process of group development, highlighting the importance of understanding "how we respond, what figure we have prospectively, what our reaction is." In his view, this type of experience contributes to collective growth, even if the result did not match initial objectives.

Carrick stressed that the match "certainly could have taken completely different paths," reaffirming his satisfaction with how the team recovered from a potentially disastrous scenario. According to the manager, this demonstration of character and response "will prove beneficial in the near future."

With the interruption for the FIFA international break, Manchester United will return to action on 10 October, hosting Tottenham Hotspur.