Carrick backs Martínez as Manchester United prepare for Roma
Michael Carrick says he has no concerns about Lisandro Martínez's commitment, and the Manchester United head coach expects the defender to keep his place for Tuesday's Champions League match against Roma. Asked about the Argentina international, Carrick said the commitment is not an issue for sure.
The question has been hanging over the club for weeks. Martínez was sent off in United's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on 31 October. He was also fined for comments he made about Jason Wilcox, the club's director of football, who oversees the playing side of the club, including recruitment. The Guardian reported the fine in its coverage of Carrick's comments.
Back in October, Martínez criticised the club's leadership after a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atlético Madrid. He stood by those words at first, then apologised after talks with Carrick. Carrick said the defender was available for the trip to Leeds that followed.
On the latest episode, Carrick was measured. "Sometimes you do things, sometimes you make a decision, sometimes you make mistakes," he said, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News.
The wider picture is harder. United have not won any of their last nine matches. Their most recent home game was a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, and the board kept faith with Carrick for the Chelsea game despite that loss. The pressure grew after the Chelsea defeat, according to Reuters.
In Europe, the picture is just as tight. The Champions League starts with a league phase, where all 36 clubs play eight games and the top eight go straight through to the last 16. United sit 21st after away defeats to Atlético Madrid and Como. A win against Roma would not solve everything, but it would lift them out of the bottom part of the table.
Carrick will be without Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Sesko. Patrick Dorgu has returned to training but is not fit enough to play. Those absences leave the squad thin, and they put more weight on the players who are fit.
Carrick admitted he is looking forward to the game. For a club that has had a bruising few weeks, a night under the European lights could give supporters something to cheer. The match kicks off on Tuesday 3 November, and the pressure on the head coach will not ease whatever the result.
