Fàbregas rejects Manchester United successor talk and defends Carrick

Cesc Fàbregas has refused to entertain speculation that he could replace Michael Carrick at Manchester United, calling the question disrespectful to the United manager and the club. The Como boss was speaking before Wednesday’s Champions League meeting between the sides.

“As you can imagine I don’t want to answer that. It’s not a nice question,” Fàbregas said when asked about becoming Carrick’s successor, according to The Peoples Person. He added that the suggestion showed “a lack of respect for a great player and coach like Michael Carrick and for United as an institution.”

The question comes as United sit 13th in the Premier League with seven points from seven matches: one win, four draws and two defeats. Their last five league results are three draws, a defeat and another draw, and they lost 2-0 to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League last week, according to The Peoples Person.

That outlet reported there are no immediate plans to replace Carrick, although results and performances could alter the situation. The report described the upcoming game as pivotal for Carrick as pressure mounts, but Fàbregas rejected the idea that United are in crisis. “In my opinion, there are no crises in football,” he said. “Every three days there’s a game on, a win to fight for.”

Fàbregas’s immediate focus, he said, is on trying to beat United. “Man Utd have great players. Tomorrow we’re going to go out there and try to win,” he told reporters, according to The Peoples Person.

Como enter the match with three points from their first two Champions League games, having beaten RB Leipzig 4-1 before losing 3-2 away to Feyenoord. Their rise has been rapid: promoted from Serie B in 2024 after 21 years away from the top flight, they finished fourth in Serie A last season to qualify for Europe’s top competition for the first time. Metro reported that Como have won four and lost one of their first seven league matches this season.

Fàbregas told Metro that United may have better players, but said Como could draw on their “inner strength and our mentality.” He called the meeting “a match to dream about” and said his players still had to compete against a side he considered stronger.

The game is at Como’s Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Wednesday, with kick-off at 5.45pm. United’s next Premier League match is at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, 25 October.