Senne Lammens has emphasized that Michael Carrick has been stressing to the Manchester United squad that their season is not over, despite a lackluster performance against Sunderland on Saturday. The Red Devils have shown strong form under Carrick’s leadership, but they were below par in a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light.
The away team was without Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko due to injuries, and it showed as Sunderland created more chances, while United managed just one shot on target. Since Carrick took charge in January, the club has already secured Champions League qualification for next season and looks likely to finish third in the Premier League. However, this position is not guaranteed, and goalkeeper Lammens says Carrick has made it clear that the team must perform well in their final two games following a forgettable display at Sunderland.
‘It’s very important to show up and deliver in every game. We are going to try and win every game possible. We want to give back to our fans, who have been very supportive this season,’ Lammens told Premier League Productions.
‘The manager has got the point across to us that this season is not finished. We have Champions League, but we also want to finish third. We don’t want to finish below third, we want to keep those other teams away from us. I hope – and I think – our team thinks the same way as me.’
Carrick was not critical of his side on Saturday, acknowledging that changes to his starting XI had an impact.
‘We take the point. A clean sheet is always good to get,’ he said. ‘We’ve scored a lot of goals this season and we’ve created a lot of chances. It’s just one of those games, you know, it’s a tough game. It was a decent enough point and we nearly won it in the end.
‘There were some changes today and I thought, as a collective, the spirit and the attitude of the boys was really good. It’s easy to fizzle out after you’ve had a spell and you come towards the end of the season and you’re really focused on finishing the season strong. Was it going to be the perfect game? We probably went into it not expecting the perfect game and understanding the situation and the changes.
‘It is what it is. It’s not something that we need to overthink and certainly not to be negative about because there’s not a lot to be negative about. We understand that we can be a little bit better than we were at certain times today. We need to keep improving, keep working. Take the positives, play with the confidence.’
However, former Arsenal and England forward Paul Merson was not on board with Carrick’s assessment, feeling it was too forgiving after a limp performance. With a couple of injuries seemingly damaging the team so much, Merson fears for how they will cope with next season unless they invest significantly again.
‘He didn’t sound right. When you’re the manager of Manchester United you have to come out and say, ‘we expect to come here and win,’ Merson told Sky Sports. ‘It’s like it was a good result today. It wasn’t a good result or performance.
‘It’s worrying for next season. They will be in the Champions League and their squad looks shallow. Mason Mount playing in central midfield with Kobbie Mainoo, Joshua Zirkzee up front. They need to invest in players if they want to be in top four again next season.’
