Carrick faces Carabao Cup selection call as Manchester United target Brighton win

Michael Carrick says he must strike the right balance between resting players and selecting his strongest available side when Manchester United host Brighton in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

The United manager was asked whether winning trophies remains the main measure of success for coaches, or whether assessments are now focused largely on Premier League performance.

“For me, trophies are the beauty and the real feeling of winning,” Carrick said at his pre-match news conference on Tuesday. “That is why we play football and sport, and it is certainly why I am at this club – to fight to win.

“It is not simple, of course, but lifting trophies and giving those feelings to the fans is undoubtedly important.”

Carrick was also questioned about whether he would follow Sir Alex Ferguson’s former approach of giving opportunities to members of his wider squad in the League Cup, or retain a more settled team.

“Yes, definitely, these are the decisions we have to make,” he said. “We play in different competitions and have made changes before. The important thing for us is to win matches and manage the squad intelligently so we keep everyone at the highest levels of readiness and concentration.

“Whatever happens, we go into Wednesday’s game with one objective: to win.”

Carrick urges United to move on from derby frustration

United’s manager was then asked how his players could overcome the controversial refereeing decisions in their most recent derby and use that frustration as motivation against Brighton.

“We have to get over it and move forward,” Carrick said. “We have to keep winning; our current points total is not what we aspire to and we are not hiding behind that. The priority now is to rediscover winning form and build that habit again.”

He rejected the suggestion that anger from the previous match was the only source of motivation for his players, saying they had already shown determination on several occasions by responding strongly to setbacks.

“The players already have that spirit and seriousness,” he said. “They have proved it many times by making strong comebacks after any setback. Situations like this certainly give you extra motivation that you can use as a driving force to move forward.”

On the latest injury news, Carrick confirmed Amad Diallo is not close to returning within the next few days, while Matthijs de Ligt continues his rehabilitation programme. He said he did not want to set a specific timetable for either player’s return.

Luke Shaw could be available for Brighton, although Carrick said his involvement was not yet certain and that his return was “a matter of a few days, no more”.

If Shaw is unavailable, Patrick Dorgu is among the options at left-back. “Patrick played a really excellent match against Sabah, and also did good things in the last game,” Carrick said. “We have a big group of players to deal with shortages. Injuries are not ideal, but we have to adapt.”

New signing Carlos Baleba is expected to rejoin the group next week and be ready to feature after the international break.

“He is a player with great quality and a huge desire to fight and play alongside his team-mates,” Carrick said. “That is why we signed him. He will give the midfield the balance and dynamism it needs.”