JAKARTA - Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has praised Michael Carrick for his brilliant start at Manchester United, but insists the comparison between the two clubs is unfair.
The Red Devils, who are fourth in the table, have risen since Carrick took over last month.
They picked up maximum points from the three games he led, including a 3-2 win over Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Spurs, who travel to Old Trafford on Saturday, February 7, 2026, are in 14th place. So far, they have failed to build on the momentum of their May 2025 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final.
Frank also has to accept the fact that he is hit by an injury storm. They are indeed unbeaten in four matches in all competitions, but Spurs have only won two of the last 15 league matches and are 12 points behind The Red Devils.
"Maybe this is a good context to say that Manchester United is not playing in European tournaments."
"I think we can all admit there is a little (extra). It's an extra challenge, (but) something we accept and we enjoy."
"I think let's evaluate ourselves when facing the same challenge. The ambition is that we want to perform very well and continue the good performance and beat Manchester United."
"I think (Carrick) has started really well. It seems there is a bit of energy injected into the team. I think some players look in good shape."
"We know the threat they provided before from (Bryan) Mbeumo, Amad, (Matheus) Cunha, and Bruno Fernandes made this team run well."
"He's been doing that for, I don't know, the last four or five years. It's incredible. It's a threat, it's a challenge, but we're looking forward to it," Frank said.
Spurs will be boosted by the return of Micky van de Ven after a minor issue, but all eyes will be on whether Cristian Romero is selected after his outburst on social media this week.
Tottenham are confirmed to appear without Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, and Richarlison.
"Djed (Spence) is getting better. He is still in critical condition," said Frank.
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