Cup Form Cheers Carrick

Michael Carrick has been cheered by Manchester United's form in the cup competitions as the Reds approach the weekend FA Cup tie with Swansea City.

The midfielder has returned to the starting line-up after recovering from an Achilles injury and, when reflecting on the first half of the season with ManUtd.com before the festive period, he was keen to highlight the progress in the Champions League and Capital One Cup as a real positive.

The Reds face Olympiacos in Europe after topping Group A while Sunderland stand in the way of a first major final for David Moyes at United as the League Cup reaches the last four.

"The progress in the cup is as good as we could have hoped for at this stage," explained Carrick. "So that's going well.

"It's just the league form where we need that consistency really. But we know what we're good at and we'll get back to doing those things and climb the table."