Michael Carrick praises Manchester United squad as being 'better than you can imagine' after turnaround in form

Manchester United will look to make it four wins from four games under the management of Michael Carrick when they take on Tottenham - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - on Saturday. Mason Mount could return to the squad after suffering an injury in training, but Matthijs de Ligt remains sidelined with a back problem. Carrick has praised his players for their attitude in recent weeks.

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick says his players have been "better than you can imagine" since he took over from Ruben Amorim, and is backing them to continue helping the club to improve.

Carrick has enjoyed three wins in a row as the man in the hot seat, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham all beaten by a rejuvenated United, who had won just one of their seven matches prior to his arrival.

Next up is a lunchtime Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, which is live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Speaking ahead of the match, Carrick has praised the efforts of his players in helping to turn their season around.

"The players have been spot on and fully focused," Carrick said. "We’re all aware of the bigger situation and what might happen.

"As a player, you focus on what’s ahead of you, trying to achieve what you can at this moment in time and the rest of the season.

"The lads have been better than you can imagine. We’re focused on being better, improving and getting ourselves and this club to where we want to be. Small steps, but it’s a big end to the season.

"People were saying at the time that the first two games were standout and we expected a tough start and in some ways that helped get the whole group focused and alive. I didn't look too far ahead.

"Over time we got a vague idea of what we wanted to look like and since we’ve been here that becomes a lot clearer of what direction we want to go in and how we want to play.

"The three wins have been fantastic in different ways. We’ve got a lot of growth in the team and squad."

Due to United not playing in Europe and suffering an early exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion, there has been talk of the club taking part in mid-season friendlies in Saudi Arabia - which would help balance their loss of income from playing less games this season.

Asked about the possibility, Carrick said: "At this stage, there is nothing confirmed. We’re aware of the schedule and there are some spaces we can use in different ways.

"It’s all up for discussion at the moment but nothing has been decided. It might happen, it might not, we will see."

For now, Carrick is concentrating on getting his team ready for the challenge of taking on one of his other former clubs, Tottenham.

Mason Mount could be in contention to return, after picking up an injury in training last week, which made him miss the victory over Fulham.

He is expected to be back in the squad either against Spurs, or at West Ham United on Tuesday - a game that is also live on TNT Sports and discovery+. Matthijs de Ligt remains sidelined with a back problem, though.

Carrick spent two years at Tottenham as a player, before making the move to Old Trafford where he spent the majority of his playing career, winning 12 major trophies in 12 years.

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Speaking about making the move from Spurs, Carrick said: "I have really fond memories of Tottenham. I was there for what feels like a short time but really enjoyed it.

"Good team, Martin Jol was manager, a lot of things I learnt at the club in a short period.

"Coming here was a big jump and I felt that pretty quickly. Once you step inside this place as a footballer it turns you, from the first day walking into the dressing room and meeting the manager, that was me."

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