Carrick demands Manchester United response after Como thrashing

Michael Carrick says Manchester United must be “fully ready” to face Bournemouth as they seek an immediate response to their humiliating Champions League defeat by Como.

United return to Premier League action at Old Trafford on Sunday, four days after suffering a heavy 4-1 loss in Italy. Cesc Fabregas’ side produced a dominant performance against the English club, leaving Carrick’s players facing renewed criticism.

The result has increased pressure on Carrick, with calls for Manchester United to make a change in the dugout following a disappointing European outing. The meeting with Bournemouth gives the head coach and his team the chance to improve their performance and begin rebuilding confidence.

Carrick accepts the defeat cannot simply be removed, but believes his players must now concentrate on responding in their next match.

“It has to be done,” Carrick said when asked about the response required on Sunday. “The motivation and the inspiration is there, you’ve got to feel that drive.

“We were all bitterly disappointed with a lot of things in the game [at Como] – the result, the performance.

“We’ve got a chance to put that in a different direction. We’ll never replace it, never get it back but we can make the difference in the next game now and we have to.

“We just want to look like ourselves, be the best version of us. We know we can be a lot better than what we were during the week.

“We are more than capable of winning football matches and we want to put the things in place to allow us to do that.”

Carrick also paid tribute to Bournemouth’s form and style ahead of their visit to Old Trafford. He said Andoni Iraola’s side play with intensity and have been unfortunate not to collect more points from some of their matches.

“I’m really impressed with them, I have to say,” said Carrick. “They are very intense and do a lot of things very, very well. They have been unfortunate with some of their results, they should have a bit more from the games, in terms of points, and I’m fully aware of what type of game it’s going to be on Sunday.

“We have to be fully ready.”