Manchester United will host Brighton in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, September 17 at 3:00 AM Beijing time (8:00 PM BST). Following the post-match press conference after United's previous Premier League clash with Manchester City, manager Carrick held a pre-match press conference for this fixture. The press conference content was released after the media embargo ended.

Michael, can I ask about the value of trophies for managers right now? Clearly, as a manager, you always want to win a trophy, but it seems the primary measure for managers now is Premier League performance, because that's where the money is, and even winning a trophy doesn't necessarily guarantee job security. Obviously, during Ole's tenure, when you were part of his coaching staff, it seemed that not winning trophies consistently was used as a stick to beat him with, rather than focusing on his achievements in reaching semi-finals and finals. What's your view on this? How much value do trophies have, or what value do they have?

I think clearly there are two sides to it. For me, trophies, the incredible experience of winning, and that winning feeling, are fundamental reasons why we get involved in football, in sport, and absolutely why I came to this club – to strive for winning. So it's not simple – you don't just decide you want to win and then you do win, of course not. But it matters greatly. I think winning trophies, achieving success, and delivering that wonderful emotional resonance to the fans is really important, absolutely.

Michael, in Sir Alex Ferguson's time, he clearly had built up enough credibility and capital to think, when it came to the Carabao Cup, "I'll make big changes, and even if results aren't ideal, it's no big deal." However, the frequent managerial changes since then have made that approach more difficult. Does that mean you have to be very careful when considering your team selection? Because this is clearly an opportunity to give playing time to players who don't get much action, but at the same time, as mentioned, this is also an important opportunity to win a trophy?

Yes, absolutely. Clearly, these are decisions we have to make. We played in the Champions League midweek and rotated, and we've made adjustments as the season goes on. So yes, these are decisions we need to make. For us, winning matches is very important, and at the same time, managing the whole squad well, keeping everyone sharp, maintaining everyone's readiness, and making everyone feel they're part of the team – all of that matters equally. But yes, undoubtedly, we'll give everything to win on Wednesday.

Looking past the result of that match, given the injustice of that disallowed goal decision, what's the best way to channel that emotion into positive motivation?

Yes, we have to look forward. We still need to look at ourselves, and we need to win matches. We've done that before, we've won plenty of matches, and we need to continue that. I understand this is a new season, completely new, and the current points tally isn't what we expected, so I won't shy away from that. But what matters more is winning matches, getting that winning feeling back, and building a winning habit. It's easier said than done, of course, but we're absolutely capable of doing it.

Even if you don't say anything, do you think the players will show stronger fighting spirit and intensity because they're angry about what happened today?

No, the players already have that fighting spirit and intensity. They're very competitive, and I think they've shown that to me since I arrived. We've had setbacks, but they've recovered really well and delivered some excellent performances and outstanding results, so they have an innate competitive nature. However, when something like what happened today occurs, it does provide some motivation that you can use going forward.

Regarding injured players, Luke Shaw is very close to returning. Do you have a timeline for the return of Amad Diallo and De Ligt?

For Amad Diallo, he won't be back as quickly. We'll see how things develop over the next week. And De Ligt is currently just gradually working his way through recovery, so with the specific timeframe and circumstances, I don't want to give a specific return date for him.

Sorry, I mean, do you think Luke Shaw will be fit for the Brighton match?

Yes, he should be fit for Brighton, but it's not completely certain. It's just a matter of a few days though, not a long-term injury.

At left-back, clearly you have various options. Dalot played there today. If Luke Shaw isn't available, what's your view on that position?

Yes, I mean, Dalot did very well the other night, and honestly, I think he did a lot of good things today as well. So yes, that's why we have squad depth, to cover different gaps. Injuries aren't ideal, but we have to face them and deal with them appropriately.

On a somewhat related note about Brighton, Carlos Baleba – do you expect him to return to the squad after the international break and be ready to play?

Yes, absolutely, he'll be back. He'll rejoin the squad and train at some point next week. So after the international break, he should be in good condition.

On that note, what's your assessment of Carlos? I'm not sure you've said much about him before, but in matches like today when he's unavailable, what do you expect from him?

Yes, of course, Carlos joined us with an injury. He's eager to play, to be part of the team, and to train fully with his teammates. As I've said before, he's clearly a player with excellent qualities, which is why we brought him here, and he has a particularly good balance of drive and support play in midfield.

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