Carrick focused on Roma match amid United pressure

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said speculation about his future would not alter his preparation for Tuesday’s Champions League match against Roma, as his team approaches the fixture on a nine-game winless run. United have not won in nine matches across all competitions, their longest such run since 1988, according to reports. The club are also under pressure in the Premier League after a 2-0 defeat by Chelsea, which left them just above the relegation zone on goal difference. Carrick said he was focused on the Roma match and looking forward to it, despite the team’s recent results and uncertainty about what might follow. Asked whether he felt he had only two games left in charge before the November international break, Carrick said he could not predict the future and that the speculation did not change how the team was preparing. United are due to host Roma at Old Trafford, then Aston Villa in the Premier League before the break. Carrick also rejected suggestions that the squad’s commitment was in question. He said the dressing room was in a good place and that he did not doubt the players’ commitment to the club, to him or to one another. He acknowledged that...