Manchester United are not a great team yet, admits Carrick, but derby win provides ‘great foundation’

Manchester United interim boss Michael Carrick knows “one game does not make you a great team” but believes last weekend’s derby mauling of Manchester City provides a “great foundation” to build on.

Carrick’s first game in charge could not have gone any better, goals from Bryan Mbuemo and Patrick Dorgu helping United to see off their city rivals with a performance that could have yielded an even more emphatic result.

The challenges show no sign of getting any easier with United heading to Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday.

And while Carrick has been pleased with how the players have performed in training his week, he accepts talk of a resurgence are a little premature at this stage.

He said: “It has been a good week. A big result, a big performance and a big uplift with the feeling inside the stadium. It is finding a balance between getting the encouragement and confidence from the game and performance and keeping level headed and keeping our feet on the ground. 

“We have got another big game coming up. One game does not make you a great team. It gives us a great foundation to build on. There’s a lot of confidence, a lot of good feeling in the group but measured with that is we know what is coming and we have got to be ready for it.”

Arsenal provide a ‘big challenge’, admits Manchester United boss

Arsenal go into the weekend with a seven-point advantage at the summit and they also top the Champions League standings after a much-changed XI cruised to victory at Inter Milan on Tuesday night.

“It’s a big challenge,” admitted Carrick. “They are a very good team. It is pretty obvious to say that, they have so many strong points to their game. They are where they are for a reason in the Champions League, we are fully aware of that and not taking that lightly at all. We feel we are in a good place and we go there looking forward to the game. It is where we want to be, we want to be positive with that energy and enthusiasm but we know it is not going to be easy.”

Brazil midfielder Casemiro announced last night he would be leaving the club at the end of the season while Harry Maguire’s future is still uncertain with the England defender having five months left on his deal.

“It’s coming onto that time of the season with contracts, January is January with the window, working our way through that and coming towards the end of the season with contract decisions,” said former United midfielder Carrick.

“That [Harry Maguire future] will be done in good time and at the right time.

“The Case [Casemiro] announcement was for clarity as much as anything, it was decided before I arrived, it wasn’t a knee-jerk decision.

“But the type of personality and character he is it shows with his performance last week, where he is mentally and what it means to be here and finish the season strong. I’ve had the conversation with him, he’s desperate to do well and finish well.”

Carrick will make decisions for long-term benefit of Manchester United

Despite being in temporary charge, Carrick is involved in the decision-making and knows he has to make the right calls for the longer term.

He added: “Any decision I make, or my staff make or the club make is not short term, it is not just to get through to the end of the season. I have a responsibility, whatever happens next, for it to be in a good place and moving forward, make the right decisions. As time goes on, I am sure I will be part of it and we will work our way through it.”