Michael Carrick hints at fixture anger over Manchester United vs Man City date – ‘Not ideal’

Man Utd face Manchester City on Sunday in the first derby of the season but the visiting team have been handed an extra 48 hours to prepare.

Michael Carrick said the fixture schedule had done Manchester United no favours after handing them 48 hours less to prepare than Manchester City for the first derby of the season.

The United head coach said the schedule “wasn’t ideal” after Enzo Maresca’s side beat Porto in Portugal on Tuesday night, while his own side don’t kick off their own Champions League campaign until Thursday night when Sabah FK visit Old Trafford.

That hands the Blues longer to prepare for Sunday’s Premier League showdown but while Carrick hinted at his frustration around the calendar and the way the games had fallen, he did his best to play it down as a major concern.

The difference is slightly offset by the fact that City had to return from Portugal after their 2-0 win on Tuesday night, but they will still get more preparation time than United for the game on Sunday, which kicks off at 4.30pm.

“I’m not concerned,” said Carrick. “I wouldn’t say it’s ideal in some ways, but it’s not something that we’ve given too much thought about.

“We’re not in control of that. We’ve got to deal with the cards that we’re dealt and that’s what it is, so we’ll make the most of it.”

Before turning their attention to the derby, United aim to get their return to the Champions League off to a winning start against the Azerbaijani champions but Carrick knows it won’t be an easy game.

“I think they’re a very well-coached team,” he said. “You can see that quite clearly, their ideas, the principles that they have that are repeatable, and they have some really good things.

“I think they’ve obviously won a lot of football matches over the last 12 months or so, and so they’re playing with a lot of confidence and you can see the way they play and take the ball and play through the pitch.

“They have some really good connections and press well as a team. So, we obviously are fully aware of what we’re up against and the challenge that we face.”