Michael Carrick showed why he is still the right man to lead Manchester United as he spoke of greats from the past like Bobby Charlton and Matt Busby.
He admitted the United had dropped below the levels which the club has set itself over the years.
Carrick said United have “lost our way” but outlined his belief that he will turn things around during an emotional speech at the start of a press conference ahead of Sunday's game with Bournemouth.
The 45-year-old’s position is hanging in the balance after Wednesday’s calamitous 4-1 Champions League loss at Como extended their winless streak to a seventh match in all competitions – the club’s worst run of form since 2015.
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United have chopped and changed manager since Alex Ferguson left and it has never achieved anything more than create more uncertainty where there is no vision for the future.
Under Carrick, United may be failing right now but the results also show the limitations of a squad which was woefully unprepared to compete in the Champions League and for the top positions in the Premier League.
And at the very least Carrick knows United and the club's expectations.
United could bring in other managers who have no knowledge of the club's past and its traditions. It would mean having a new coach who would start from scratch and crucially with the same board and the same players.
Carrick evoked greats from the past like Bobby Charlton
Right now the problem isn't the coach but the leadership above him and Carrick is paying the price for defending them - and saying this team is equipped to compete at the highest level.
Carrick showed he will not go down without a fight and began the press conference with a defiant address lasting five minutes and 36 seconds, expressing his confidence that he will get things back on track.
“The foundation of this football club and the values of this this football club have been put down and etched for many, many years,” Carrick said during the monologue. “And I totally understand, and I get every single one of them.
“It comes down to humility. It comes down to being humble. It comes down to being hardworking and being really proud to work hard and being proud to live up to those values.
“There’s a resilience about this football club that’s been shown for a long, long time.
“Whether that’s bouncing back from adversity, whether that’s comebacks, whether that’s late goals, whether that’s success, whether that’s sustaining success, there’s a resilience in this football club that runs very, very deep.”
Carrick says United will always be bigger than any individual, pointing to Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson before talking about how the club rebuilt after the Munich air disaster in 1958.
“Going back to Sir Matt (Busby), Sir Bobby (Charlton), the resilience was beyond belief of what they showed, and the way they rebuilt this football club and, again, it was based on being humble, having humility, and hard work,” he continued.
“We can never lose that, and I won’t let us lose that. We’ve had it for a spell. I feel very strongly about that.
“I think it inspires me a lot to live up to that and keep driving that with the players in the group that we have. We’ve shown it for a good period of time and that we’re capable of it.
“We’re in a moment where it’s not gone well, so we need to show exactly what it means and, you know, respect this football club. Respect what it takes to be here, respect what it takes to win, what you have to do to win.
“I’m not entitled to be here. Entitlement cannot be at this football club.
“We’ve won in the past, we’ve got an incredible history, but that doesn’t mean that you’re entitled to just win. I’m fully aware of that.
“It takes hard work. It takes a lot of sacrifice. You’ve got to invest yourself in the football club, and you’ve got to do a lot of things that maybe aren’t so nice but you’ve got to do it for each other, and you’ve got to win.
“I think it’s important we live up to that, and it’s important for me to push those values, and it’s important for our supporters to feel that moving forward.
“We’ve had it. We’ve kind of lost our way a little bit, if I’m totally honest, and we’ll get it back. I’m totally convinced we’ll get it back.”
Carrick’s pain at recent results and his desire to kick on was palpable during a stirring address as speculation swirls over his future.
“It is my responsibility whatever goes on the pitch, what we are as a group and what we look like and what we feel like,” he said.
“I’ll hold that umbrella for me to get wet and for everyone else to stay dry. You know, that’s the position I’m in, and it’s a privileged position.
“Discussions are going on, getting the players in a good frame of mind and well organised to put in a good performance on Sunday.”
Asked if he is confident he can still turn things around at United, Carrick said: “Yeah, 100 per cent.”
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