Cesc Fabregas has angrily dismissed speculation linking him with the Manchester United job, branding the question disrespectful to Michael Carrick on the eve of Como's Champions League meeting with the Red Devils at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
The Como head coach was asked at his pre-match press conference whether he would consider replacing Carrick at Old Trafford, with United arriving in Italy on a six-match winless run and under mounting pressure. Fabregas, who battled Carrick countless times in midfield during their playing days, refused to entertain it.
"I won't answer that question because I think that's not a very nice question," Fabregas said on Tuesday. "I don't think that shows enough respect to a great footballer and manager like Michael Carrick at the helm of a wonderful Manchester United side."
Fabregas defends an old rival
Fabregas went further, pointing to what Carrick achieved last season rather than United's current slump. "Manchester United is a historical club I know very, very well," he continued. "We have so much respect for who they are, for what they do, because they have incredible players.
"I know Steve Holland very well because I worked with him for years at Chelsea and I know Michael has done really well in previous clubs as well. Last year he did really well bringing Manchester United back to where they belong, which is the Champions League, for the first time in many years, so it's not all bad. It's an honour to host them for the first time in our history."
Como sit fifth in Serie A and head into Wednesday's tie buoyed by a 3-1 win over Fiorentina on Sunday — a sharp contrast to the mood around their visitors.
Carrick: only wins will silence the talk
Carrick, appointed permanently in May after an impressive spell as interim boss, was just as blunt about his own position. United have won only two of their 10 games in all competitions this season, are enduring their worst start to an English top-flight campaign in 40 years, were knocked out of the League Cup by Brighton last month and were comfortably beaten at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last week.
"I know we've got to win football games for everything to flow and everything to fit into place. That's the great thing about it, we can do something about it," Carrick told his press conference in Italy, in comments reported by theScore. "I don't need any reassurance. It's pretty clear. I know the role, I know the responsibilities. I don't need anyone else to kind of tell me that or tell me when it's going well or when it needs to be better. I know that myself."
An injury list that keeps growing
Carrick's task in Como has not been helped by a crippling injury list. United were already dealing with six players missing from training in the build-up, and Lisandro Martinez — who started Sunday's 1-1 draw at Leeds despite his stinging criticism of the club's transfer activity — had to be replaced at half-time in that game and will miss the trip.
The Argentine joins Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, Benjamin Sesko, Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven on the sidelines, leaving Carrick desperately short of options for a game he can ill afford to lose.
So what does Wednesday night decide?
This is no longer just about three Champions League points. A seventh game without a win, away to Champions League newcomers on a famous night in Como's history, would turn speculation about Carrick's future into something far louder — whatever Fabregas thinks of the question. Win, and United buy their manager breathing space and momentum. Lose, and the international narrative writes itself.
For Como, meanwhile, this is the biggest European night the club has ever staged — and Fabregas, fifth in Serie A and playing with freedom, has every reason to believe his side can make it even bigger.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Fabregas did Carrick a favour with his answer — and it may be the last favour he does him this week. There is a pointed irony in a former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder having to teach the room some manners about a Manchester United manager's job security, but the respect was genuine, earned across a decade of midfield battles. On Wednesday night, though, respect ends at kick-off. Como are everything United currently are not: settled, confident and upwardly mobile. If Carrick's patched-up side lose at the Sinigaglia, no amount of dignity in a press conference — his or Fabregas's — will stop the noise. Was Fabregas right to shut the question down, or is speculation simply part of the job at Old Trafford? Let us know in the comments.
