Carrick warns United against Fulham after wins

• Michael Carrick said underestimating Fulham would be “bang out of order” after wins over Manchester City and Arsenal
• Patrick Dorgu is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a hamstring issue, while Joshua Zirkzee is back in training
• Carrick left the door open to late transfer window business, saying “Never say never”

Michael Carrick has warned Manchester United against any drop in standards when Fulham visit Old Trafford on Sunday, after his interim reign began with statement wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.

Carrick has won his first two games since replacing Ruben Amorim and is looking to make it three straight league wins. Speaking at a news conference on Friday, he said: “I think the boys are in a good place going into the game. It’s a tough game, tough challenge, I think Marco has got Fulham into a really good team.

“All of a sudden it is a different game, it’s Fulham, just because we are at home, taking anything for granted is bang out of order.”

Carrick also confirmed Joshua Zirkzee has returned to training after missing the last two matches through injury, but Matthijs de Ligt remains unavailable.

A bigger concern is Patrick Dorgu, who limped off late in the 3-2 win at the Emirates Stadium. Carrick said: “Pat unfortunately is going to be out for a period of time. It’s disappointing because he has had such a great couple of weeks.

“We weren’t sure if it was cramp or something more serious and at the moment it looks something more serious. It’ll be a few weeks. How many weeks, we’ll have to wait and see.”

With the transfer window nearing its deadline, Carrick did not rule out late movement in the market, stressing that plans can change quickly. “I think we are just working through it,” he said.

“Never say never because a lot can happen and situations can be thrown up. Sometimes it is in our control, sometimes not. I am pretty calm and we have shown [against City and Arsenal] what we are capable of as a team.

“We’ll have to see what the next few days bring.”

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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