United and the Premier League title? Surprise response from Carrick
The Manchester United manager raises the flag of defiance
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick believes his side are "not far away" from competing for the Premier League title.
Two years ago, United chief executive Omar Berrada unveiled "Project 150" to staff at Old Trafford, setting out a plan to win the Premier League in 2028, coinciding with the club's 150th anniversary.
Quizzed on that target during the summer, Berrada said: "Ideally, we achieve it next season, and if not, then the season after. I think we are in a good position. We have seen very good progress on the pitch this season, and we will continue to build on that foundation."
The reality looks rather different. United are enduring their worst start to a Premier League season in 40 years, and defender Lisandro Martinez suggested after the defeat to Atletico Madrid that the squad had not been strengthened sufficiently in the summer.
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Some United players had expected greater investment from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family ahead of this season, but Carrick believes Manchester United are not as far from entering the title race "as the critics claim".
Asked whether he considered the target of winning the title in 2028 a realistic ambition given the club's current trajectory, Carrick said: "Perspective matters and football can change. I think when we came in in January, we were a long way off third place, and we ended up finishing third," according to the Manchester Evening News website.
Carrick stressed that the focus should be on what can be achieved rather than on the problems, insisting that winning the Premier League is a huge target the team is pursuing and one it must continue to pursue.
He pointed to a Champions League record of one win and one defeat, and to a domestic campaign that still leaves them in contention for the top places. The results, he felt, had pushed everyone towards the negatives. The turnaround, in his view, is not far off.
On "Project 150", which Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox discussed with him when he was appointed, he said the aim inside the club is always to win, without a specific time frame, and that the goal is to achieve it as soon as possible.
United are still building towards a level they have not reached in years, he added, and getting to the top may require different paths. He insisted the team is managing that journey and working to come through it.
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