Carrick says he is 'here to do my job' as Manchester United face pressure before Chelsea match

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said on Thursday he was "here to do my job" and needed no assurances over his future, ahead of Saturday's Premier League match at Chelsea. Carrick remains in charge after a show of support from the club's hierarchy, though he had been widely expected to be sacked this week. United have won two of 12 matches in all competitions this season, and a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth on Sunday left them one point above the relegation zone. Carrick also backed captain Bruno Fernandes, who was benched for that match after criticising Carrick's tactics following a 4-1 thrashing by Como. Benjamin Sesko is injured, leaving Carrick without a back-up striker.

Left-leaning coverage from The Guardian centres on Chelsea rather than United's crisis: its headline asks how long Chelsea's hot finishing can last, noting they sit fifth but rank 12th on Opta's expected points model, and that they have scored 6.7 goals above what their chances imply. It describes Carrick as having the air of a dead man walking. Alternative outlets split: Yahoo Sports leads with Sesko's injury and the lack of striker depth as a threat to Carrick's job, while Al Jazeera features Carrick's own words and his backing of Fernandes. Right-leaning Washington Times headlines the captaincy, keeping Fernandes as skipper despite dropping him amid a crisis at the "beleaguered" giant. All sides note Carrick's pressure and Fernandes' benching, but the Guardian stresses Chelsea's numbers, the Washington Times stresses club turmoil, and Yahoo Sports alone stresses striker options.