Como boss Cesc Fabregas issued a telling response when directly asked about speculation that he could be a potential Michael Carrick successor at Manchester United.
Must-win clash
Carrick is facing a pivotal game against Como on Wednesday as pressure mounts on him and his coaching staff.
United are enduring a miserable start to the new season as they languish in the bottom half of the Premier League table. The Red Devils have managed just seven points from their opening seven fixtures, which represents their worst start to a top-flight campaign in 40 years.
United were also beaten 2-0 in the Champions League by Atletico Madrid last week. While there are no immediate plans to replace Carrick, things could change drastically if results and performances do not improve.
United would normally be considered favourites against Como, but this is hardly the case for the current side. Como recorded a comfortable win over RB Leipzig in their inaugural Champions League match and have performed impressively in Serie A this season.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the contest, Fabregas leapt to Carrick’s defence when asked about rumours that he could be on United’s list of potential replacements.
Fabregas responds
The former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder said when asked about the links, “As you can imagine I don’t want to answer that. It’s not a nice question.”
“It shows a lack of respect for a great player and coach like Michael Carrick and for United as an institution.”
Fabregas refuted any notion that United are a club in crisis.
“In my opinion, there are no crises in football. I’ve never been through a crisis.”
“Every three days there’s a game on, a win to fight for. There’s no time to think about whether there’s a crisis or not. It’s 11 v 11. You look to do your best and try to win.”
“Crises? You make them up. We don’t feel them. We’re footballers. We’re professionals. All we want to do is play and compete. I don’t believe in crises.”
“Man Utd have great players. Tomorrow we’re going to go out there and try to win.”
Como vs. United kicks off at 5.45 pm.
Featured image by Marco Luzzani via Getty Images
