Michael Carrick has insisted that outside commentary does not reflect "the truth" of life inside Manchester United's dressing room, as he continued to back Lisandro Martínez following the defender's passionate remarks about the club.
Martínez had criticized technical director Jason Wilcox and United's summer transfer business after the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atlético Madrid. He has since publicly acknowledged that his approach was misguided following discussions with senior figures at the club, including Carrick himself.
The Argentine's comments came amid United's dismal run of form and prompted several analysts to question the unity within the squad and whether players privately harbor frustrations about how the summer transfer window was handled.
Carrick pushed back on that narrative. "Just because people talk from the outside, that doesn't mean it's the truth," he said, via The Mirror. "The squad today in training was in a fantastic place - that's the truth."
United are enduring their worst start to a season in 40 years and sit 13th in the Premier League after just one win from six matches. Carrick cut off a reporter who suggested it was he who needed results to shift the club's momentum.
"I don't need results," he said. "We all need results. It's not about me; Manchester United is bigger than an individual, so please, I don't go into every day thinking about me. It's not about any individual player; it's about this football club and its history."
Reaction to the Atlético defeat
Carrick also reflected on the loss in Madrid, where United conceded in the opening minute but stayed competitive, squandering chances to equalize before Atlético scored late, shortly after Leny Yoro was sent off.
"There's a lot of things that can impact the group in a lot of ways," he said. "From the game itself, you talk about the spirit and belief in the group, the way we started that game, it would have been easy for the game to have got away from us. The way we started to shows there's an underlying spirit."
United will look to return to winning ways when they travel to face Leeds United on Sunday.
