Manchester United will host Brighton in the third round of the English League Cup at 3:00 PM BST on September 17. Following the Premier League match against Manchester City, Manchester United manager Carrick held a pre-match press conference ahead of this fixture. The contents were released after the media embargo expired.

Hi Michael, can I talk about the value of trophies to a manager now? Nowadays, for a manager, obviously you always want to win a trophy, but it feels like the main standard for judging a manager is their performance in the Premier League, because that's where the money is, and even winning a trophy might not necessarily be seen as enough to keep your job. Obviously, during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure, you were also part of his coaching staff at the time, and the feeling was that not winning a trophy seemed to be constantly used as a reason to criticize him, rather than focusing on his achievements in leading the team to semi-finals and finals. What are your thoughts on this? How valuable are trophies, or do they even have any value?

I think obviously there are two sides to this. For me, the wonderful experience of trophies, victories, and that feeling of winning is the fundamental reason we are involved in football, involved in sports, and absolutely the reason I came to this club – which is to try and win. So it's not straightforward, it's not like you decide you want to win and you can just go and win; of course not. But it's very important, I think winning trophies, achieving things, and bringing that exciting emotional resonance to the supporters is crucial, absolutely.

Michael, when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge, he obviously accumulated enough prestige and capital that he could even think, when facing the League Cup, "I'm going to rotate heavily, and even if the result isn't ideal, it's no big deal." But the frequent changes of subsequent managers have made this approach somewhat difficult. Does this mean you have to be very careful in considering your squad selection? Because this is obviously an opportunity to give game time to players who usually play less, but at the same time, as just mentioned, it's also a crucial step towards winning a trophy...

Yes, absolutely. Obviously, these are the choices we have to make. We played in the Champions League midweek and made squad adjustments, and we've been making small tweaks as the season progresses. So, yes, these are the decisions we need to make. For us, winning games is crucial, and at the same time, managing the entire squad properly, keeping everyone up to speed, keeping everyone prepared, and making everyone feel part of the team are also very important. But, yes, there's no doubt we'll be going all out for the win in Wednesday's game.

Speaking of moving on from the result of that game, given the injustice of that goal decision, isn't the best way to convert that emotion into positive motivation?

Yes, we have to look forward. We still need to reflect on ourselves, and we need to win games. We've done it before, we've won many games, and we need to keep going. I understand it's a new season, a brand new season, and the current points situation is not what we expected, so I won't shy away from that. But it's more about winning games, getting back that winning feeling, and developing a winning habit. Easier said than done, of course, but we are fully capable of doing it.

Even if you don't say anything on the surface, do you think the players will show greater fighting spirit and intensity because they are very angry about what happened today?

No, the players already have that fighting spirit and intensity. They are very competitive, and I think they have shown me that since I arrived here. We've had setbacks, but they've bounced back very well and played many very good games and achieved good results, so they are inherently very competitive. However, when something like what happened today occurs, it does provide some motivation that you can use going forward.

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

For Amad Diallo, in terms of days, he's not back that quickly yet. As this week progresses, we'll see the specific situation. De Ligt is currently just in the process of gradually recovering, so given the timeframe and the specific situation, I don't want to set too definite a return date for him.

Sorry, I mean, do you think Luke Shaw can make it for the Brighton game?

Yes, he might make it for the Brighton game, but it's not absolutely certain. However, it's only a matter of days, not a long-term injury.

At left-back, obviously you have different options. Patrice played there today. If Luke Shaw can't play, how do you see the situation in that position?

Yes, I mean, Patrice did very well the other night, and honestly, I think he did a lot of good work today too. So, yes, that's why we have squad depth, to fill different gaps. Injuries are far from ideal, but we have to face and deal with them properly.

Regarding a topic somewhat connected to Brighton, Carlos Baleba – do you hope he'll be back with the team and ready to play after this international break?

Yes, yes, he will, no doubt. He'll be back with the group and training at some point over the next week or so. So that means he should be in good shape after the international break.

On that point, what are your thoughts on Carlos? I'm not sure if you've talked much about him before, but in a game like today's, without him as an option, what do you expect from him?

Yes, of course, you know Carlos arrived with an injury. He's eager to get on the pitch, be part of the team, and train fully with his teammates. As I've said before, he's obviously a player of great quality, which is why we brought him here, and he can provide excellent balance and complementarity to our midfield.

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