Carrick on Scholes criticism, Mount and Villa test

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Old Trafford (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

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Carrick is "not worried about" former United team-mate Paul Scholes posting on Instagram that the club "have been [expletive] last four games" under him. He says: "It was nothing really, nothing to say about it. That is just where we are in terms of social media and captions and quotes that can be taken in different ways, so be calm about it."

The United boss confirmed Mason Mount has returned to training and could be involved on Sunday but said the midfielder "is not 100% and has only trained for a small period of time". He added that no other players are set for return from injury.

Carrick said defender Harry Maguire "has put himself back in the [England] frame, if he was ever out of it" with his recent performances for the club.

He said 15-year-old forward JJ Gabriel is "too young" to make the matchday squad but added that he "is a big talent and doing really well".

Carrick said "it was disappointing" to suffer the 2-1 defeat by Newcastle last week - their first loss under him - but he added: "We have digested that, looked at it, learned from it, trained really well this week and the boys are itching to get going."

Asked whether facing fellow top-four contenders Aston Villa after the defeat is the biggest challenge of his current spell, Carrick says: "They were always going to be a test. The first defeat feels different but it was going to come at some point. It has been a really good week in many ways and we have put ourselves in a position where there is an awful lot to play for."

Carrick previously managed Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers during their time together at Middlesbrough. He said "it's fantastic to see Rogers going on to do so well" and admits he "wasn't sure how it was going to go" when the player joined Boro in 2023 after a loan spell with Blackpool.

He said Jadon Sancho, who is on loan at Villa from United, "has got the talent" and it is "credit to him that he is having an impact" at Villa Park.

Hit play above to hear more from Carrick or listen on BBC Sounds here

There will be live radio commentary of the game on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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