Michael Carrick has insisted he doesn't feel under pressure at Manchester United, despite their poor start to the season hitting a new low in Wednesday night's 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils went into the fixture hoping to bounce back after their derby day defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
Early goals from Shea Lacey and Mason Mount got their evening off to a positive start before Charalampos Koustoulas pulled one back for the visitors on the stroke of half-time.
And Brighton completed a stunning comeback in the second half to dump United out courtesy of efforts from Pascal Gross and Maxim De Cuyper.
It means that, from their six games so far this term, the Red Devils have won just three.
Carrick insists he doesn't fear pressure, however, despite many fans choosing to boo the players off the pitch following the full-time whistle.
“No pressure anyway. Either way, that doesn’t bother me one bit," he said.
"I understand what goes on outside and how the world works, but it genuinely doesn’t bother me.
"What bothers me is winning games, having a good feeling around the place and knowing we’re moving in a good direction.
"If we’re on a good run, the biggest thing I’m thinking about is keeping it going and keeping everything on an even level.
"If we’re not on a good run, then we’ve got to get back to being on a good run. That’s as simple as it gets.
"We’ve got to win football matches, and I fully believe we will. Obviously, we’ve got to do it pretty quickly, and Sunday is a starting point.”
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Carrick admitted he was struggling to digest United's shock collapse.
The goals from Lacey and Mount had given them much-needed lift-off but, in the 80 minutes that followed, they were categorically outplayed.
“Yeah. It’s a good question, to be honest with you," he conceded.
"I think the way we started the game, 20 or 25 minutes into the game, we were in such a good position, playing well and doing all the things we wanted to do.
"It feels like a long time ago now. The feeling at the start of the game and the feeling at the end couldn’t have been further apart.
"We have to accept that the game can’t go in that direction from where we were."
Back in the summer, United decided to strengthen their midfield with deals for Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba.
However, many supporters feel Carrick has been sold short given the other areas of their squad that need addressing.
Better full-backs are required, while Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven's performance at the heart of their defence has done little to boost the duo's chances of regular first-team football.
Carrick swerved the question, however.
“No. The team’s on me. When we win, people say I’m doing a good job. If we don’t win or don’t get results, then a lot of it is on me," he said.
"I accept that. I’m not hiding away from any of that. That is what it is.”
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