Carrick says United capable of going deep in Champions League

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick said we are capable of achieving success in the Champions League as the Premier League club returns to Europe's elite club competition after a two-season absence.

Nothing sums up United's recent UCL record like the fact that Bruno Fernandes has represented the Red Devils in just one knockout tie during his six-and-a-half years at Old Trafford.

United have reached just two quarter-finals since making it to the final in 2011, a match in which the current manager, Carrick, played, and the only knockout match they played since the arrival of Fernandes in January 2020 was the last-16 defeat to Atletico Madrid in 2021/22.

The Red Devils will start their campaign in European competition on Thursday against Azerbaijani club Sabah at Old Trafford, and it will be their first game in the UCL since defeat to Bayern Munich in December 2023, which ended their miserable group stage campaign.

However, last season United finished third in the Premier League under Carrick, which brought them back to the Champions League, and it's time for them to show they can go deep in the competition.

"Well, we certainly can achieve it, we're capable of achieving it," said Carrick.

"It's up to us to then take the step of doing that. I think you saying that as well shows the steps that we're trying to make from previous years of not being in the later stages of the competition.

"I think we've got to be humble enough and realistic enough to know where we're coming from and where we want to get to. That, like you say, Bruno's only played in that one. It's part of us to keep pushing the standards and to be the best we can possibly be.”

Carrick added that United are capable of some really good things but it will need consistency.

"We want to be there as quickly as possible, as everybody does, but again, it's understanding the steps that need to be put in place to be able to do that,” Carrick added.

"We're capable of some really, really good things, and especially on our day, we feel that we can go up against anybody and come out on top.

"It's up to us to bring that over a consistent period and consistency through games. In the end, that gets you the results and hopefully puts us in those stages that you're talking about."

After a home game against Sabah, Red Devils will face Atletico Madrid and FC Como away on 13 and 21 October, respectively. They will then host AS Roma on November 3, before taking on Sporting CP away on November 25.

Carrick’s side will then play RB Leipzig on December 8 and Bayern Munich on January 20 at home. They will finish the league stage of the Champions League at Villarreal on January 27.