Manchester United manager Michael Carrick believes his team showed signs of improvement despite extending their winless run to six games with a 1-1 draw against Leeds United on Sunday.
United took the lead through Bryan Mbeumo in the 35th minute at Elland Road, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalised six minutes into the second half.
The result left United 13th in the Premier League, continuing a difficult period for the club as it struggles to find consistent form.
Carrick described the performance as a step forward, pointing to the team’s discipline, defensive organisation and unity under pressure. However, United still lacked the creativity and quality needed to control the game and build fluid attacks.
“Maybe if you talk about top quality, maybe it wasn’t top, top quality I think we are capable of playing. With the results we’ve had, we weren’t quite flowing, but there’s enough in there to take from it,” Carrick said.
The manager felt his players performed better than in their previous two matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid. United had drawn after taking the lead against Tottenham, while Atletico proved the stronger side despite United putting in a decent performance.
Carrick said the players understood their roles and responsibilities and showed greater resilience against Leeds.
“It’s a bit more than just effort. It is the way you go about it. The plan. The responsibilities. The roles. I thought the boys took that responsibility on really well for the most part,” he said.
United had hoped to secure a morale-boosting victory, but once again failed to protect their lead. Carrick maintained that the team was difficult to break down and praised the players for sticking to the plan.
He also faced the challenge of restoring unity after defender Lisandro Martinez criticised the club’s leadership following the defeat to Atletico Madrid.
“I suppose you’re looking at the togetherness, the spirit, the unit. I don’t doubt that within the group,” Carrick said. “The way that we went about it today gives me a lot of belief in us moving forward.”
United will have another opportunity to improve their form when they travel to Como for a Champions League match on Wednesday.
