Michael Carrick has been “massively disappointed” with some recent refereeing decisions that have left Manchester United without Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez for the key trip to Chelsea.
The third-placed Red Devils are well positioned to return to European football’s top table given the Premier League’s top five qualify for next season’s Champions League.
United boast a seven-point gap over sixth-placed Chelsea ahead of Saturday evening’s meeting at Stamford Bridge, where bans to Maguire and Martinez compound fellow centre-back Matthijs de Ligt’s long-term absence.
Martinez was sent off in Monday’s 2-1 home defeat to rivals Leeds — a match Maguire missed after seeing red at Bournemouth, where his reaction led to the Football Association this week dishing out an additional one-game ban.
United boss Carrick said: “To be honest, there’s not much we can react to. Massively disappointed, of course.
“I think I’ve had a few reasons to be disappointed in a big way over those type of situations over the last couple of weeks or three weeks.
“But obviously now we’ve got to move on. The decisions have been made, it’s something that we’re really disappointed with in many ways, but that’s it now. We’ve got to move on and we will do.”
Martinez begins a three-game ban for violent conduct having been given his marching orders for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair after the VAR sent referee Paul Tierney to the monitor to review the incident.
Enraged Carrick called the decision “one of the worst I’ve seen” and the Press Association understands United intended to appeal the sending off.
The former midfielder sidestepped a question as to whether they lodged the appeal but confirmed the Argentina international will be unavailable on Saturday.
“We’re obviously disappointed,” Carrick said. “We didn’t agree with it. I think it was pretty obvious how I felt after the game, and I still feel that way.
“Yeah, listen, I don’t want to go into it now. I think it is what it is. We’ve been hit with some decisions and, at the end of the day, now we’ve got to accept it and move on, whether we like them or not.”
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Asked to confirm whether Martinez will be available at Chelsea, Carrick said: “No.”
Patrick Dorgu remains absent against Chelsea as he works his way back from a hamstring injury sustained in January, but Kobbie Mainoo could feature having missed the defeat to Leeds with an issue sustained in training.
“Patrick’s going well, he’s rehabbing well, he’s kind of on track, but he’s not with us in terms of training yet, but he’s back on the pitch,” Carrick said. “That’s positive and he’s doing really well.
“Kobbie, we’re working towards it. He’s done a little bit, so there’s a decision to be made there.”
