Michael Carrick was left fuming with a football pundit who accused Manchester United of ‘lacking passion’ during their defeat at Hull City.
United’s season got off to a terrible start on Saturday when they beaten 2-0 by the newly-promoted side in their first Premier League game for nearly a decade.
It was a deserved win for the Tigers, with the Red Devils coming under heavy criticism in Carrick’s first match since being appointed head coach on a permanent basis.
The former United midfielder conceded that his side had ‘a lot to learn’ and was largely measured in his responses when speaking post-match.
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But in a newly-surfaced interview shortly after full-time, Carrick took exception to one question from Viaplay pundit and former Premier League striker Jan Åge Fjørtoft.
The former Norway international, who played for Swindon, Middlesbrough and Barnsley, asked the head coach if he ‘would accept there was a lack of passion in the first-half’ from United.
Carrick was extremely unimpressed with the question, snapping back: ‘Oh come on, that’s ridiculous!
‘You played football. You understand. That’s a ridiculous thing to say.
‘Just because you get beat doesn’t mean you don’t care about it.’
Fjørtoft backtracked a little, before asking if it was a case of Hull being more up for the match than United.
Again, Carrick defended his side, replying: ‘No, no.
‘The two goals came from set plays. Other than that, we had opportunities. That was where the game was.
‘I don’t think it was passion or anything to do with that. I think it was just their moments that made the difference in the game.’
Carrick will be hoping for a major improvement when United take on Ipswich Town at Old Trafford next Sunday.
After the defeat at Hull, Alan Shearer claimed United were not ready for the new season, saying: ‘I haven’t seen Manchester United in pre-season, but I saw them in this game and they didn’t look fit.
‘‘They didn’t look ready to play 90 minutes of intense, high-pressure, high-energy football. There was only one team that looked fit there and it wasn’t Manchester United.’
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