Man United injuries are no excuse in run-in – Carrick

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has said his side’s injury problems are no excuse between now and the end of the season.

Sunday’s home game against relegation-threatened Swansea is United’s ninth in April and will kick off at midday despite the Manchester derby having finished at close to 10 p.m. on Thursday.

Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Juan Mata, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are all injured, while Marouane Fellaini is serving a three-game suspension after headbutting City’s Sergio Aguero. 

The players still fit and available face another seven matches in 22 days — or eight in 25 if they reach the Europa League final — and Carrick is focused on the job at hand. “It’s not ideal,” the midfielder told MUTV. “We’ll have to be ready for Sunday. It’s what we do and it’s what we’re here for. It is no excuse.

 “Credit to the boys. It’s never easy when you’ve got injuries, especially to key players. Everyone’s done a terrific job and shown how important the squad is.” Matteo Darmian, who has returned to a starting role as others have dropped out, echoed Carrick’s message.

 “We haven’t got too much time for recovery and to prepare for the [Swansea] game but, from now until the end of the season, we play every few days so we have to be ready,” he said. “Everyone is important so we have to be focused, play on Sunday and win.” United missed the chance to overtake City with their 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium, but Carrick is still confident the fight is on.

 “It’s a good point and it’s a point gained on Liverpool,” he said. “There was a lot going into this game including the rivalry. It was make or break for us and for City. “We’ve got some tough games to play and we’re in a better position now than we were at the start of the night. We can take the positives from it.”