Michael Carrick exclusive: Manchester United coach on Bruno Fernandes-Casemiro connection, Kobbie Mainoo development and 'intense' Chelsea clash

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Manchester United interim head coach Michael Carrick believes their crucial clash away to Chelsea on Saturday evening will be "immense" but has told his players they must be ready to manage their emotions at Stamford Bridge.

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The Red Devils and Michael Carrick have the perfect opportunity to take a giant step towards qualifying for the UEFA Champions League next season.

United travel to fellow top five contenders Chelsea on Saturday evening live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Carrick's men could either widen their gap to 10 points or a defeat could leave them looking behind their shoulders.

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United suffered a setback in their bid to return to the top tier of European football after slipping to a 2-1 defeat to bitter rivals Leeds on Monday.

The players appeared rusty after featuring in their first match in almost a month, but speaking to TNT Sports in an exclusive interview, Carrick took positives out of the performance, especially the reaction to Lisandro Martinez' red card in the second half.

"The players have responded well to the result and I think we responded well during the game too, especially in the second half," he explained.

"You can have spells in the game where it doesn’t quite go for you. We didn’t start the game in the way we would’ve liked but in the second half with the situation we found ourselves, I thought the boys responded really well and it was really positive to see.

"That feeling has carried on during the week as we have an important game on Saturday and we want to take that last 30 minutes or so into the Chelsea match and enjoy playing with an extra player."

Red cards have been a feature in United games since Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in January.

There have been five red cards brandished in the past eight matches involving the club, with Harry Maguire and Martinez being the only United players to be sent off in that period - although both dismissals have happened in consecutive matches.

Is there a discipline issue to be resolved following the recent sending off?

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"I don’t think we need to make a big deal out of it really," Carrick says. "Our record has been good. I think that Harry’s incident can happen and I don’t really know what I can say to Licha to do anything different regarding his sending off.

"It just wasn’t a good decision from the referee. We’ve also been involved in games where the other teams have received a red card.

"It’s going to be an intense game at Stamford Bridge, and we have to be ready to manage the emotions."

'He has always been involved in big moments'

With Chelsea having the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League this season with seven red cards to their name, more dismissals could be on the way in West London on Saturday evening.

In the reverse fixture, both sides were reduced to 10 men with Robert Sanchez receiving an early red card before Casemiro picked up a second booking just before half-time.

The Brazil international was still the match winner on the day as United sealed a nervy 2-1 win over The Blues at Old Trafford.

Chelsea are Casemiro's favourite Premier League opponents, with the midfielder scoring three goals against them since moving to Manchester four years ago.

The Blues will be delighted this will be the last time facing the Brazilian after he confirmed that he will leave Old Trafford at the end of the campaign.

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Casemiro is enjoying the best goalscoring season of his career with eight goals to his name so far, including another header against Leeds, but Carrick is not surprised by his threat in the opposition's box.

"Casemiro has always had the knack of scoring goals," he says. "He has moments where he’s in the box and has a real sense of where the ball will drop and he’s really calm and has the composure to finish.

"Generally speaking, the amount of goals and the importance of them shows that he has that quality around the box and that’s been really important for us."

Casemiro has also developed a connection with midfield partner Bruno Fernandes, who has assisted the Brazilian's last six goals.

Both midfielders connected once more against Leeds and although it wasn't enough to earn a point for The Red Devils, it meant that Fernandes only needs four more assists to break the league record set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

"Bruno has had a big impact since I arrived," Carrick says. "He has managed to link up with Casemiro and his goals have been important.

"Since he has been at the club, he has always been involved in big moments."

When asked about the connection between the pair, Carrick explained: "I think that part of the game is building that connection and sometimes it’s a personal one and at different times, it’s a tactical one.

"Sometimes on the pitch, you just have that wavelength where you understand each other in the moment and I think both of them have that.

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"Sometimes it’s a set-piece and, other times, it’s another area of the pitch where they link up. They completely understand what the other player brings to the table in certain aspects of the game and what they like in certain moments."

Why Mainoo is special

One piece of the midfield connection that was missing for the loss to Leeds was Kobbie Mainoo.

The youngster has shone since he returned to the first-team fold following Carrick's arrival and he is now back in contention to represent England at this summer's FIFA World Cup.

The 20-year-old missed Monday's defeat because of injury but Carrick suggested that he could feature in the crunch game against Chelsea and detailed why the midfielder is such an integral part to the team's success.

"Kobbie is still a young player so it’s important for us to handle his development and help him to learn and improve," he explained.

"I think his natural attributes are taking the ball and being comfortable in those situations and he’s always had that in his locker from a young age.

"He is never really phased and he’s got a really levelled demeanour which really helps him and he’s already played in some of the biggest games in football during his career.

"He’s got a lot of positives to his game, including his composure in how he copes with certain things, and his technical ability is there for all to see."

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Mis-firing forward

When all his key players are fit, Carrick has appeared to find balance in the midfield, but what about the forward line?

Summer arrivals Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko have all enjoyed their moments in their debut campaign but it is rare that all three start a game.

In fact, neither player has managed to get on the scoresheet since Sesko scored the winner against Crystal Palace at the start of March.

How does Carrick rate their seasons so far?

"Between them, all of our front players can give us something different," he said. "I think that Bryan and Matheus have performed really well this season and Ben has also shown he is finding his way and still managed to score important goals.

"Sometimes it can take a while to get used to things after arriving at the club but those boys have shown their attributes, personalities and the flexibility where they can play in different roles and it’s good for the team to have players who can help us in that aspect."

All three players will be hopeful of playing a role at Stamford Bridge, where United can pull away from their contenders in the top five race, but Carrick has warned that showdown should not be viewed as a Champions League decider.

"It’s definitely not a final," he says with a smile. "We’ve got five more games after this so there is a lot of football to be played.

"Finals are one-off games and this is not one of the situations. There’s obviously a seven-point difference between the two teams heading into the game and there’s a lot to play for.

"It’s another game but it’s an important game.

"When you play the teams that are close to you in the league table, we know the benefits that a good result can give you but it’s certainly not a decider for Champions League football."

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