Milan thrashing hits Manchester United: Carrick breaks his silence: There is no room for excuses
A powerful slap before the start..
Michael Carrick cut a disappointed figure after Manchester United's 4-2 defeat to Milan in Wroclaw, one of the final friendlies before the new season. The United manager stressed that his side had fallen short of the expected level and that there was no room for excuses.
"The pre-season has been positive in general," Carrick told MUTV after the match, before emphasising the need to learn from the Milan defeat and work on the mistakes. A number of players were still logging their first minutes with the team ahead of the new campaign.
His team felt let down by the performance against Milan. There were various reasons behind the level the players showed, Carrick explained, but he refused to treat them as justifications. The fundamental truth, he insisted, was that United simply had not played well enough.
United started strongly. Harry Maguire opened the scoring after just around 100 seconds, heading his side in front, before Samuel Chukwueze levelled for Milan.
Patrick Dorgu restored the lead in the second half, but the Italians hit back fast. Alfadjo Sisse, Gonzalo Ramos and Ruben Loftus-Cheek struck three goals in succession to settle the encounter 4-2 in Milan's favour.
That was only United's second loss in six pre-season friendlies, a run that also brought a win over Atletico Madrid and a 1-1 draw with European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Marcus Rashford featured in a United shirt for the first time since December 2024, back from his loan spell at Barcelona. Carrick brought him on as one of six changes, handing as many players as possible a chance to get minutes before the season begins.
Those minutes would prove useful, Carrick affirmed, though he also flagged a happy problem. United's strong squad, he noted, would leave the coaching staff facing difficult calls over the line-up and personnel once the official competitions get under way.
United open their Premier League campaign on 22 August against newly promoted Hull City. It is their first competitive test since the end of pre-season, with the coaching staff keen to take the lessons of the Milan defeat into real competition.
