Michael Carrick has defended Manchester United’s players from accusations by Gary Neville that they are “not professional”.

Neville tore into the United squad this week, attacking their professionalism, the way they conduct their lives, their sense of entitlement and a general lack of standards.

“There’s a few of them that aren’t that professional,” the former United defender said on the Gary Neville Podcast. “There’s a couple of them, I live in Manchester, they’re not that professional some of them. I’ve got no time for them.”

But Carrick, who desperately needs a response from his players against Chelsea on Saturday after the Old Trafford hierarchy decided to stick by him for now, said he had not encountered such behaviour since taking over in January.

“No, I haven’t,” the United head coach said in response to his former team-mate’s claims. “Gaz says a lot of things.”

Carrick held talks with his squad on Tuesday and admitted there had been some home truths delivered on both sides with the club in 16th position, a point above the relegation zone.

Bruno Fernandes had been dropped for Sunday’s shambolic 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth, but the captain is expected to start against Chelsea after clear-the-air talks with Carrick.

“It’s not always rosy and nice conversations between anyone, whether that’s between me and the players or that’s between me and Jason [Wilcox, the director of football] or Omar [the chief executive] or the owners,” Carrick said.

“It’s the truth, it’s the hard truth at times and it’s what we need to move forward. Whatever we need to move forward, we’ll do.”

While United fans turned angrily on the players as well as the owners and executives against Bournemouth, Carrick had his name sung and was applauded as the Old Trafford fanbase sought to single out who they blamed.

Carrick said he appreciated the backing but was left with “mixed feelings” as he urged the fans to get behind the team. “We’re all in it together and I’ve told the players that, I’m happy to say that,” he said.

“I didn’t feel comfortable being in any way, shape or form a separation from that. That’s my group, they’re my players and this is my football club, so we have to all be in it together.

“That’s the supporters included, as hard as it is at the moment, I totally get that, I get their feelings. When we get through this, we’ll be a lot stronger as a whole.”

United’s only league victory was at home to Ipswich Town on August 30 and Carrick admitted his players were in the throes of a confidence crisis in the wake of the capitulations against Como and Bournemouth, their sixth defeat in 12 games.

“Confidence is in some ways the major factor,” he said. “That self-belief, that confidence level, it kind of trumps everything else in terms of level of performance.

“But the beauty about the confidence is it can come back sharpish and it can come back quickly in one moment, one thing in a game, one win, one result.

“Of course when you’re not winning games and you don’t feel like you’re playing great, then it naturally creeps in. The challenge is keeping that belief deep within you, to know it’s there and it’s possible.

“We need something to flip for everyone, to change the feeling. Just because you lose a game or you have a bad day, that doesn’t mean it’s the end of a player’s career or an end of a team’s road or whatever that may be.”