It was just after 6pm on Sunday, 8 November when the message landed. Manchester United were 4-2 down to Aston Villa, and Old Trafford was resigned to defeat.
The plea came from someone who knows Michael Carrick well, has worked with him and understands at first hand the pressures of life in the United goldfish bowl.
As it turned out, the predicted ending did not come to pass.
United scored twice in stoppage time to salvage a 4-4 draw. Carrick celebrated Patrick Dorgu's equaliser by raising an arm in the air. After that, he walked round the pitch on what has turned out to be a final lap of appreciation.
As the United supporters sang his name, Carrick placed himself in the middle of his players to ensure the fans did not turn on them in the way they had done after the 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth two weeks before.
It was a decision that summed up the 45-year-old - supporting the collective, rather than looking after himself.
That obvious desire to do the best for his club and his players - and his storied past - explains why Carrick's song continued to be bellowed from the stands when just about everyone else involved at United was attracting fury and derision.
