Michael Carrick addresses the issue Manchester United ‘can not ignore’

Man Utd have conceded six goals in three games this season and Michael Carrick knows that is a pattern that cannot continue.

Michael Carrick accepted that Manchester United have to improve defensively after seeing his side concede twice for the third game in a row at the start of the Premier League season.

United have shipped two goals to each of Hull, Ipswich and Everton at the start of the season and that is a concern given the quality of opposition is about to rise considerably.

They hit five against Ipswich last week to mask their defensive issues, but they were beaten at newly-promoted Hull on the opening day and twice threw away a lead against a mediocre Everton side at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

United have now conceded twice in half of Carrick’s 20 Premier League games in charge and while the 45-year-old insists that isn’t a mentality issue, he knows improvements have to be forthcoming.

“The mentality is there, I think,” he said. “There’s obviously things we need to get better at as a team. That’s two strikes from a distance really that are two really good strikes from their point of view. Sometimes they fly in the top corner, and more often than not, they probably don’t.

“So there’s a little bit of that. But we obviously can’t ignore it. We need to concede less goals to give us a better chance of winning games, but we’ll certainly look at that and keep improving.”

United conceded a first equaliser to Tyrique George after 83 minutes, only for Benjamin Sesko to restore their lead five minutes later. But United failed to see the game out and invited pressure before Ainsley Maitland-Niles struck from distance in the last minute of added time.

“I think that one strike from there, that goes in the top corner, obviously changes the whole feeling of that few minutes,” said Carrick.

“When you look back, there’ll be loads of little things that you can do a little bit differently, of course. But he’s put it in the top corner from well outside the box, so sometimes it’s one of those things.”