On September 6 at 21:00 Beijing time (CEST), Manchester United will visit Everton in the third round of the Premier League. After the media embargo ended, the off-the-record portion of Manchester United manager Carrick's pre-match press conference was released. This article is the second part of that content.

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What would you say to fans or others who still believe you might lack funding or certain resources, or even some special X factor, that prevents you from consistently competing at the highest level?

Honestly, many people will have various different ideas, that's reality. I think we're very clear about what we have, what we can do, and what we can achieve. Money is one thing, how you use money is another, and how you maximize the money you have is yet another. Ultimately, it's about what happens on the pitch, and we just need to keep giving everything we can, showing our best every day, and constantly striving to win every match.

Hi Michael, I was thinking about Hull City—in their first match back in the Premier League, the atmosphere at their stadium was quite hostile and confrontational. This time away at Everton, things could become very difficult or even volatile. How much do you know about what's happening outside the stadium, around the club? Do you feel you can really use this tension to your advantage?

Of course, I'm very aware of what's happening at different clubs, but ultimately, for me and for all the players, the most crucial and fundamental responsibility always lies in our preparation on the pitch. Regardless of how public opinion and external situations develop, we have to be able to handle it emotionally and psychologically, and fully capitalize on various situations. But as we enter our preparation for this match, we won't let these external factors distract us at all; we're very clear about what kind of atmosphere we'll be walking into.

As I just mentioned, from historical experience, what I know is that going to Everton's home is always a very difficult and hard-fought battle. So in our preparation, that's purely what's on my mind. We have to perform at our best on Sunday, and if we can perform at our best, or even close to it, then we'll have a great chance of getting a win. But they're also a very good, tough team, and they've started the season well, so we're very aware that this is a big challenge.

Hi Michael, this summer you clearly brought in three midfielders, and last summer the club recruited three forwards. With all these recruitment moves, I think you all see this as long-term squad construction and development. Does this suggest that next year or in the next phase, your squad building focus will shift significantly toward defense—that is, focusing on bringing in defensive players?

It's not always that straightforward, I completely understand why you would arrive at that conclusion, if you like. But the path of development isn't always so linear. I think squad evolution is always accompanied by continuous efforts to seek improvement and evolution. And as the season progresses, team performance fluctuates, injuries happen, who looks good, what future prospects look like—clearly, there are too many interconnected factors influencing our decisions, and we're seeking improvements step by step.

So we'll see how this season goes and what areas we need to focus on to expand and strengthen. But clearly, we have a very clear idea in our minds about what kind of team we want to build this summer, and for long-term development beyond that.

Hi Michael, Kobbie Mainoo has received a lot of praise for his outstanding performance in last weekend's match. After last season's journey and not getting playing time at the World Cup this summer, how do you plan to manage and utilize him this season? Given that competition in midfield is much more intense than before, how important a role can he play in your team?

Yes, I think competition is very positive. This competition doesn't have to be an either/or situation—"this player plays or that player plays." I think it's a collective concept that makes everyone mentally aware that we have a very strong and deep squad.

So yes, I think clearly Kobbie Mainoo made big steps and progress last season. He ended the season very strongly, and last week he played a brilliant match again. You can really see this in his growth trajectory, how much effort he's putting in to try to improve certain aspects of his game.

He's very eager to learn, he always wants more, he wants to keep improving, and that drive is fantastic. Because in the eight months since I've been here, he's really performed brilliantly. For a young player his age, it's actually easy to become complacent, like "this is already good, look, I'm in the first team, I've played so many matches, everything's going smoothly," but he's still actively seeking more, as he should. So if there's something positive about this internal competition, it's that it's laying a very strong foundation for us, allowing everyone to learn from each other and help one another.

Of course, as a midfield unit, we feel our current setup at this position is very strong. Kobbie Mainoo undoubtedly can have a very successful season again, that's for sure. He's returned to the team in fantastic form, truly excellent, as everyone witnessed in last weekend's match. Beyond that, throughout the squad, in daily training, you can also see his personality and confidence continuing to grow, and he's clearly becoming more mature. And he's still very young; he has great potential that's continuously waiting to be unlocked, that's really impressive.

Michael, I want to follow up on that—perhaps the previous manager had some defensive concerns about him. As a former midfielder yourself, will you give him any specialized individual coaching and guidance on his work without the ball? Also, how important is he to the overall style of play and tactical approach you want to build here?

Yes, we're constantly working. Not just me, but all the coaches are constantly analyzing and guiding all players individually on certain aspects, whether that's tactics on the pitch or mentality off it. Yes, that's always happening, but it's absolutely not about giving Kobbie Mainoo a dry lecture every day, not at all. Rather, it's about letting him enjoy the game, letting him express himself freely, and doing what he does best on the pitch. He has some truly exceptional and rare qualities that we're very keen to harness and develop.

Of course, he certainly has areas that need continuous improvement and refinement, and we'll do our best to help him. And the best part is he himself has a very strong desire to learn—you can really see that. Once we give him some pointers and suggestions about certain details and timing, he can very quickly grasp, absorb, and apply them in practice, which will give him a very good opportunity to fully unlock his exciting potential. And he clearly has very high potential.

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