Ahead of Manchester United's Premier League match away at Leeds United this weekend, manager Carrick sat down for an interview with the club's official television channel.
Michael, the team will face Leeds United away this weekend. How are the squad's recovery and preparations progressing?
Yes, we hope our squad will be stronger and more complete. We're welcoming back Mazraoui, who has rejoined the team and completed some training with us. He will be back in the squad and available for the first team. This is definitely a very positive step in the right direction for us.
De Ligt has also returned to the squad list. What is his current physical condition? Is he ready to start?
With every training session, every day, and every week, getting him back into the team and back on the bench—returning to the bench a few nights ago—I think that was a very crucial and positive step for him. Now, it's just about having patience, overcoming difficulties step by step, and helping him gradually regain his match rhythm and physical condition.
But it's great to have him around. He's clearly much happier since rejoining the team. He's had a very tough few months and had to grit his teeth and get through it. His current good condition is entirely thanks to his own hard work and perseverance. So, yes, we're very pleased to see him back involved with the team.
Aidan Haven played left-back in the last match against Atletico Madrid and performed exceptionally well. Do you think this is a position where he can help the team long-term?
Aidan is a very talented young player with exceptional physical and technical abilities. Moreover, he possesses a unique quality: he remains composed and unfazed regardless of the occasion. This is an incredibly valuable asset—especially when playing here in crucial matches. Particularly last season, when he came off the bench in an emergency against Chelsea, partnering with Mazraoui as centre-backs, I think everyone could see how calm, confident, and composed he was.
I was very satisfied with his performance in such a difficult match against Atletico Madrid. As a young defender, he demonstrated that he can make very high-level plays and decisions. As long as he continues to train hard and do the right things, he can have a very bright and promising future.
If Amad Diallo Traore gets a chance to play in this match, he will reach his 100th appearance milestone for the club. That's a fantastic achievement, isn't it?
Yes, it certainly is. It's always very gratifying and rewarding when you reach milestones like this. In many ways, he is a true team player. I think you're also very aware that, whether it's his specific contributions on the field or his playing style, he provides immense support and help to the entire team. Therefore, he is a very important player, and we are extremely happy to see him back healthy and participating.
What are your expectations for this weekend's match against Leeds United at Elland Road?
This will undoubtedly be an extremely tough match. I must say, Daniel Farke has done an excellent job for quite some time. Although they had a challenging start to the season, they have shown tremendous stability since making adjustments to their approach. They are a very dangerous team and performed exceptionally well in their away match against Arsenal last week, perhaps just lacking a bit of luck to take points from that game.
So this is a particularly significant contest, going to Elland Road. It will definitely be an exciting and passionate match. In that stadium, it brings out all your potential; the deafening noise from the home fans, the fervent atmosphere, high-intensity physical confrontations—all the elements of football are there. So we are very much looking forward to this clash.
Yes, and this is also a stadium you didn't experience much as a player; I believe you only played one League Cup match there. So from your personal perspective, how much are you looking forward to this trip to Elland Road?
Yes, extremely much. The lads finished training today, and everyone is in high spirits with a very positive mindset. As you know, for the fans who travel with us to support the team away, this match means a great deal to them, and the whole team is very aware of that. Therefore, we will go to the away match closely united, fight with all our might to win, and strive to bring back the ideal result for the team and the fans.
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