Carrick: 'Ridiculous' to call Man Utd start favourable
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- Michael Carrick called suggestions of a favourable start 'ridiculous,' pointing to fixtures against play-off winners Hull and newly promoted Ipswich as a 'tough start' before adding: 'I'm not getting past Saturday.'
- Manchester United have completed one major signing this summer — Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for £35m on 14 July — while talks continue with Brighton over Carlos Baleba and Luke Shaw remains the club's only orthodox left-back.
- United have won their opening two Premier League fixtures only once in the last eight seasons — under Jose Mourinho in 2017-18 (4-0 vs West Ham, then victory at Swansea) — and lost their first two as recently as 2022-23.
- The 2022-23 campaign's opening defeats — a home loss to Brighton followed by a 4-0 collapse at Brentford — triggered a £150m deadline-day spree that brought in Casemiro and Antony on 1 September 2022.
- Manchester United have signed at least one senior first-team player near the transfer deadline for six consecutive seasons, including Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021, Antony (now at Real Betis, £81.3m fee), and goalkeeper Senne Lammens last summer.
- Carrick declined to rule out a title challenge — 'I would never say we can't' — as United face potentially 50% more fixtures than last season's 40-game campaign, with the transfer window closing at 23:00 BST on 1 September.
Why it matters: United's six-season streak of deadline-day panic buys — including a £150m spree triggered by early 2022-23 defeats — means fans may need to brace for another late-window scramble before the 1 September close, while the opening fixtures against promoted sides will set the tone before reinforcements arrive.
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