Carrick brushes aside questions over future as United seek turnaround

Sept 18 - Manchester United manager Michael Carrick dismissed speculation over his position at the club on Friday, insisting he expects to be given time to turn results around despite a difficult start to the season.

United have lost three of their six matches in all competitions and suffered a damaging League Cup exit on Wednesday, surrendering a 2-0 lead before losing at home to Brighton & Hove Albion ahead of Sunday's Premier League trip to Fulham.

"I think it will be a lot longer than one or two games of results," Carrick told reporters. "Taking away all of that, it's irrelevant for me. I know the club, I know the role, I know what's expected here in terms of playing at a certain standard.

"In terms of the future and ownership and how long I've got, it's totally nothing. Thinking about it is ridiculous in the position I'm in. It's just not on the radar. We've got to perform and we've got a lot of games to plan for."

Carrick, 45, accepted responsibility for the team's poor start but said the focus must remain on finding solutions rather than assigning blame.

"It's my responsibility and I'm fine with that. It's not a blame game. Blame me, no problem, but it's not about blaming people," he said.

"It's about finding solutions. It's a whole collective thing. It's about what you focus on. I know where we want to get to and we want to get there fast."

On the injury front, Carrick  will make a late decision on whether to include Luke Shaw and Carlos Baleba in the squad to travel to Fulham as they look to halt their inconsistent run. REUTERS