Carrick admits to "hard truths" at United after club's worst start since 1986

Eight games without a win. A humiliating 4-1 exit in Como, followed four days later by a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. Manchester United are mired in the kind of slump that rattles any locker room, and Michael Carrick, far from hiding from it, decided to lay his cards on the table.

The manager acknowledged that uncomfortable conversations have taken place at the club, the kind nobody wants to have but that are sometimes necessary. He spoke of "hard truths" shared among himself, the players and the club's top brass, at a moment when his own job security was in question following the collapse against Bournemouth.

It's the truth, it's the hard truth at times, and it's what we need to move forward. Whatever we need to do to keep moving forward, we'll do it.Michael Carrick

Carrick explained that these kinds of talks are nothing out of the ordinary when a team is going through a rough patch. He said he seeks out the opinions of the dressing room leaders and that listening to players during moments like this is part of the day to day job, even if it doesn't always mean everyone sees eye to eye.

That doesn't mean we always agree with it, but there's no problem with that. And then we all move forward in the same direction.Michael Carrick

United arrive at Stamford Bridge this Saturday to face Chelsea carrying a statistic that looms large: they haven't won a domestic match since beating Ipswich 5-2 on August 30, a result that remains their only Premier League win of the season so far. The number stings even more in context: it's the club's worst run of results since the 1988-89 season, and their worst league start since 1986-87, the year Ron Atkinson was sacked and Alex Ferguson took over in the dugout.

Despite that grim backdrop, Carrick was informed by the club's senior leadership that he will remain in charge of the team, though the pressure to turn things around is unmistakable. Some of the criticism hasn't landed solely on the players either: CEO Omar Berrada and football director Jason Wilcox have also been singled out for not strengthening the squad sufficiently over the summer.

Confidence is the key

For Carrick, much of the problem isn't tactical or physical, it's mental. He speaks of confidence almost like a magic ingredient that can change everything in an instant.

Confidence is the beauty of sport. In a way it's the main factor in that belief, that self confidence. It overrides almost everything else in terms of level of performance.Michael Carrick

The coach insists that spark can return at any moment, with just one result, and he recalls that they lived through exactly that a few months ago. In his view, doubt is normal when results aren't coming, but the challenge lies in holding onto the internal belief that everything can change quickly.

Carrick also addressed comments made by his former teammate Gary Neville, who had suggested that some players were behaving unprofessionally, not sleeping well or socializing at the wrong times. The manager was blunt in his response.

No, I haven't seen that. Gary says a lot of things.Michael Carrick

With Chelsea waiting at Stamford Bridge, United need the confidence Carrick keeps talking about to show up sooner rather than later. The club's recent history leaves no room for more patience, and the manager knows that better than anyone.