Alex Telles remains confident that Manchester United’s class of 2021-22 can “rescue” an inconsistent campaign and put the foundations in place for a new manager to build on, with playing staff at Old Trafford ignoring the speculation which suggests that Erik ten Hag is close to taking the reins.
The Red Devils continue to work under the interim charge of Ralf Rangnick for now, with the experienced German drafted in to bridge a gap between two permanent appointments following the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United cannot afford to allow events off the field to become a distraction in the present, as they chase down a top-four finish, with Champions League qualification vital if future progress is to be made once a new coaching team is put in place.
Can Man Utd finish in the top four?
United have seven games left to take in this season and currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, six points adrift of Tottenham and with only one victory secured in their last seven matches across all competitions.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Brazilian defender Telles has said of the rumours regarding potential managerial moves: "No, I don't think it influences us because we know what we have to do.
Next Match
"There are people at the club working on the new manager - but that's for next season. And next season depends on what we do in these remaining games, so we need to stay focused.
"We can't think about who the next manager will be, we need to think about working hard in our next game."
He added on the need to start righting a few wrongs on the field: "Everyone in the dressing room really wants to win.
"No player at this club doesn't have this desire. We know about our responsibilities - we have families, we have dreams, we have objectives.
"We want to do the work, not talk and turn this situation around. We know the quality we have, we know the expectation the fans and the club have of us and we need to be prepared to do our best to change things for the better.
"If I didn't believe we can still rescue the season then I shouldn't be here.
"We know the duty we have to meet our objectives. We can't think of the games further ahead, we have a 'final' against Norwich in front of us first."
What do Man Utd need to improve on?
The Red Devils are due to play host to rock-bottom Norwich on Saturday, with victory imperative in that contest after losing 1-0 to struggling Everton last time out.
Telles believes that a tide can be turned, saying of the areas that United need to improve in order to hit their ultimate targets: "We need more consistency. We've started games really well, but there are moments where the opponents have been on top and then we've lacked solidity, which has affected results. We need to keep it up for 90 minutes.
"We know how quickly things can change in football and the team that concentrates best and really focuses will be successful. So it's a case of improving our solidity and being compact."