Michael Carrick believes anything is possible for Manchester United on their return to the Champions League as he vowed to go as far as possible in Europe.
While United have not competed in the European elite since 2023 and have not reached a semi-final, let alone a final, since Carrick’s playing days in 2011, the manager said he is not ruling anything out as he voiced a belief his players can spring a surprise.
United begin their campaign at home to Azerbaijani champions Sabah at Old Trafford on Thursday with Carrick urging them to ensure they play Champions League football every year.
And while United have made a slow start to the Premier League, with only four points to show from their first three games, Carrick is optimistic for their chances in Europe.
He said: “I think we’re capable of doing some really good things in this competition and going further down the line in this competition, and then who knows when it gets to that stage. I’m not writing anything off.
“We’re delighted to be here, but we’re not here to just enjoy the occasion. We’re here to do business and go as far as we possibly can.
“We want to keep pushing, and the expectation is great. We want the expectation, we want the hope and the belief that we can achieve things quickly. That’s the ultimate challenge, you know. We’ve done an awful lot of good work to be here in a short space of time, and credit to the players for that.”
Carrick said the Champions League has a huge importance to United and he is determined to make them regulars in the competition again.
“It means an awful lot,” he added. “We’ve missed out on it for a number of years, and now we’re back, so I think it means a lot, you know. It’s where we want to be every single year and it’s where we should expect to be without being ahead of ourselves.”
United have a Manchester derby on Sunday and Manchester City, who beat Porto 2-0 on Tuesday, will have two days more to prepare.
“I wouldn’t say it is ideal but we have to deal the cards we have been dealt,” said Carrick.
Luke Shaw sat out training on Wednesday and, while the left-back was ever-present in the Premier League last season, United’s busier schedule has brought questions if the veteran can play every game.
“We just gave him an extra recovery day,” Carrick explained. “We’ll see by tomorrow how he is, but it’s not an ongoing thing or a plan or anything like that. It was just off the back of the game [at Everton] the other day. So each individual has kind of different little things that we manage and Luke was one of them today.”