Paul Merson & Jamie Carragher make same Leeds United point in big warning for Manchester United
Leeds United face their old rivals at Elland Road on Sunday.
Paul Merson and Jamie Carragher believe a trip to Leeds United makes up part of a ‘nightmare week’ for Manchester United boss Michael Carrick.
Carrick is under growing pressure after a 1-1 draw against 10-man Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday left them with just one win in six Premier League games. Man Utd have now dropped points in back-to-back gameweeks against the current bottom two having also drawn at 19th-placed Fulham before the international break.
Man Utd travel to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday but a Sunday afternoon trip to Elland Road, which will be bouncing. Leeds’ unbeaten league run came to an end at Arsenal last weekend but a spirited performance leaves belief sky high Daniel Farke’s side can enjoy a second consecutive win against their old rivals.
“It’s a nightmare week for him,” Merson wrote of Carrick in his Sky Sports column. “I couldn’t think of two worse games - I don’t think they’re going to win either of them. Atletico Madrid, at their ground, is a difficult game. They’re hard to beat, a very difficult team to play against and beat. They don’t let in a lot of goals.
“Then you go to Leeds, who are one of Man Utd’s champion enemies. This is a big, big, big football match. A big rivalry. And it’s one of Leeds’ biggest games. If you’re a Leeds fan, after the weekend, you’d be shocked if Man Utd beat them at Elland Road.
“Every Leeds fan would be disappointed if they didn’t get a result against Man Utd this weekend. Now that’s a big swing in football. How many times have we said that about Leeds vs Man Utd games? And it tells you everything you need to know about Man Utd.”
Carrick was only appointed as permanent Man Utd manager in the summer after a promising interim spell. He won 11 of his 16 Premier League games in charge with defeats rare - one memorably coming at home to Leeds back in April.
Given their physicality and effort has been questioned, trips to Diego Simeone’s Atletico and the current iteration of Farke’s Leeds are a huge challenge. And former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher joined Merson in sending a warning shot to Carrick ahead of those back-to-back away trips.
"It is very early in the season but we have been here before with Manchester United under different managers,” he said on Monday night football. “They are being questioned for how ready they are physically and mentally in games.
"Now they've got three big games, two are away in the Champions League [vs Atletico and Como] and then Leeds. If they don't up their intensity quickly, this could get very messy for all involved."