Second spell at the dugout – Carrick looks for ‘lessons’ after first Man Utd loss

At moments like this, all you can do is say the right things.

Say the defeat at St James’ Park was disappointing, that the performance was not what was hoped for and that lessons will be learned. Say the team will come back in a positive way.

Michael Carrick is not given in nature to throw players under the bus.

Unlike his predecessor, he will never say “this is maybe the worst team in the history of Manchester United“, Ruben Amorim giving that opinion just over a year ago after a home defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion.

However Carrick is no-one’s fool either. He knows the 11 days between the chastening defeat by 10-man Newcastle at St James’ Park and the visit of Aston Villa to Old Trafford on 15 March could be the most important of his season.

If he eventually gets it right and Manchester United follow Chelsea’s lead by beating Villa, Carrick will have done two things. Firstly, he will have put his club in pole position to qualify for the Champions League, which few thought was realistic when he took over from Ruben Amorim.

In addition, from a personal view, he will also have shown he really can learn from defeats and the way he responds.

In the words of his old boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, “every team loses, it is part of the game; it is what you do about it that counts”.

“We are bitterly disappointed,” said Carrick. “It hurts.

“We came here in good shape. The way it panned out is very disappointing. There is no two ways about that.”

Results-wise, Carrick is right. Six wins and a draw from his first seven games in charge was an excellent return and he headed back to the north-east with a winning mentality.