Premier League news: Carrick brushes aside questions over future, Arteta salutes ‘extraordinary’ Dowman
United head coach believes it will take ‘a lot longer than one or two’ setbacks before he is concerned about his job
Michael Carrick says it will take more than one or two defeats before he comes under internal pressure as the Manchester United head coach.
United lost 3-2 to Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, having led 2-0 at Old Trafford. That followed Sunday’s 1-0 home loss to 10-man Manchester City. United also went down 2-0 at Hull on the opening day of the season and conceded a late equaliser at Everton at the beginning of the month. The results have caused Carrick to come under scrutiny and he was reminded before Sunday’s visit to Fulham that his predecessors, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, were sacked after 30 months and 14 months, respectively, in the job.
“It will be a lot longer than one or two games of results [before he is under pressure from United’s hierarchy],” Carrick said: “It’s irrelevant for me. I know the club, I know the role, I know what’s expected here in terms of playing at a certain standard.
“In terms of the future and ownership and how long I’ve got, it’s totally nothing, it’s ridiculous to think that way in the position I’m in: it’s just not on the radar. It’s two or three games we haven’t had certain results. We’ve got to perform and we’ve got a lot of games to plan for.”
Carrick is content to take ownership of his team’s performance. “That’s why I’m here. It’s my responsibility, I’m fine with that,” he said. “It’s not a blame game. We always search for things to look at and find the blame, sometimes it gets too much. Blame me, it’s no problem, but it’s not about blaming people. It’s about finding solutions. It’s a collective thing. I know where we want to go and we want to get there fast. We don’t like losing matches, but it doesn’t affect what we do next.”
The 45-year-old was asked if he needs to show more emotion on the touchline. “I need to show more emotion? In what way?” he replied. “What do you want me to show?”
On Friday JJ Gabriel travelled to Barcelona for discussions regarding potentially joining the club, with United understood to have found out via the media despite the 15-year-old being registered with them.
On Tuesday Gabriel told United he wanted his registration rescinded because he wishes to join another club. Real Madrid have a firm interest and it is understood Gabriel and his advisers travelled for preliminary talks with Barcelona.
Carrick said: “The situation will work itself out, whatever way it's going to work itself out. Making sure he's OK is the important thing." Jamie Jackson
Mikel Arteta has praised Max Dowman’s “extraordinary” transition from schoolboy to Arsenal first-team squad member and backed the teenager to make more of an impact this season.
Dowman became the first 16-year-old since Wayne Rooney in October 2002 to score twice for a Premier League club in Arsenal’s victory over Ipswich in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, after bursting on to the scene last year. That was his first appearance of the campaign, having been an unused substitute on four occasions as Arsenal have won all seven of their fixtures.
Dowman, who has been training with Arsenal’s first team since he was 14, completed his GCSEs in the summer and he will study for a BTec qualification after deciding against taking A-Levels. Arteta said Dowman’s development was still being carefully managed by Arsenal after a couple of years of having to balance his studies.
“It’s not easy,” said the Arsenal manager. “That’s what tells you about the craziness of the age and the environment he still lives in with the demands and the competition he needs to face during the week. But the way he has handled it, him and the family, it has been extraordinary. If he is here, he has to be here in all conditions and we cannot treat him differently in many aspects.”
Dowman is in contention to be on the bench to face Brighton on Saturday as Arsenal attempt to make it eight successive victories to start the season for the first time since 1903. Arteta is convinced more opportunities will come his way sooner rather than later.
“That’s the best way to knock on the door: to do it on the pitch, not in the office,” he said. “What Max did the other day, alongside all the players as well, that haven’t played that many minutes, it was really impressive.”
Premier League regulations do not allow players under 17 to be sent out on loan but Luton are understood to have registered an interest in Dowman, who was coached by their manager, Jack Wilshere, when he played for Arsenal’s under-18s. Arteta said it was possible Dowman could be allowed to leave in January, by which point he will be 17, but that his immediate future was at Arsenal.
“We haven’t really listened to any of the possibilities because we were crystal clear that we wanted to have him in the squad, that we wanted him to be part of the pre-season and then start to see where we are from there,” Arteta said.
“We will evaluate every six months, where we are and what is the best thing for him to do and then make the right decision. It depends on a lot of factors – what he needs and what the team needs as well, the availability we have in the squad, the minutes that he is playing and the qualities of those minutes. We have to be open but now the focus is to be here and to impact the team.” Ed Aarons
Roberto De Zerbi insists Sandro Tonali is not feeling the pressure of his price tag despite a mixed start to life at Tottenham. The midfielder became the most expensive player in the club’s history when he joined from Newcastle for £92.5m in the summer.
De Zerbi made a big play to sign Tonali amid interest from Manchester City and Arsenal, delivering a two-hour sales pitch to his fellow Italian to convince him to move to north London. He outlined how central Tonali would be to his plans and explained what he could expect from Spurs’ fans and the team’s style of football.
Tonali has started all four Premier League games this season – in which Spurs have drawn twice and lost twice without scoring – but has produced underwhelming defensive numbers and created only three chances.
De Zerbi revealed he had spoken to the 26-year-old about the weight of the price tag and claimed the player “doesn’t feel the pressure about that”. The Spurs manager pointed out that Tonali took time to adapt in his first season at Milan in 2020 before becoming one of the most sought-after young midfielders in the world once he settled there.
De Zerbi said “the adaptation has been not so fast” at Tottenham “but it can happen”, adding: “It is not so easy to change city, to change everything, for the players. Sometimes the adaptation is immediate, sometimes you need more time.”
Tottenham’s struggles in front of goal have not been helped by Tonali’s inability to create chances for the forwards. The goalless draw against Everton was the first in 140 games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and following a 0-0 against Nottingham Forest, equalling Spurs’ tally of goalless games in the previous 181 matches. The last time they recorded three or more consecutive goalless draws in the league was 25 years ago under George Graham, when they went to four.
It is a remarkable run, especially after a summer spend of more than £300m, that leaves Spurs in 17th going into Saturday’s game against Aston Villa, who have also struggled after a summer of major change.
De Zerbi maintained he is happy with Tonali’s performances – even though he believes they can improve – and described him as “a complete midfielder”. “His physical characteristics are to play box to box but he started his career as a playmaker. He’s good enough with the ball, he’s good enough without the ball.” Sam Cunningham
Daniel Farke said Dominic Calvert-Lewin was “like a good wine” after the in-form striker’s call-up into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. The 29-year-old has been included in the Three Lions’ squad for their Nations League matches after scoring four goals in six appearances in all competitions this season.
Calvert-Lewin was given a standing ovation by Leeds fans as he was withdrawn late on in Monday night’s 4-1 win against Newcastle at Elland Road. “Dominic is like a good wine, getting better by the year,” Farke said. “Physically, he’s on a top level and his pace is more than good enough I would say. He’s a very complete striker.”
He arrived at Leeds on a free transfer from Everton in August last year and when asked where he ranked among his best signings, Farke said: “At Leeds, while I’ve been here, we’ve made many top signings on a low budget.
“When I think about Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka. It’s difficult to compare because as a striker you have a different role. But he’s definitely one of our better pieces of business. If you come as a free agent it doesn’t mean it costs no money because there’s a salary. But we believed in him when perhaps not many were doing this. He also believes in himself and he believes in Leeds United, so I would say he was a perfect fit.” Press Association