Carrick Makes Title Pledge

Michael Carrick is not one to mix his words and, on the eve of his 10th season at Manchester United, our 34-year-old vice-captain is typically blunt about his targets for 2015/16.

"Just to win," he explains in an exclusive interview for Saturday’s edition of United Review, the official matchday programme. "Obviously this year, we have got to get into the Champions League early on and then we have to challenge for the league," he continues.

"We have to be up there fighting for the league. Then, of course, there are the cup competitions. We want to do well in them and we have a squad that is capable of having a good run in everything. At this stage, when nothing has happened, you set your targets high and we want to win things."

Speaking of winning, Carrick is among the most decorated players in the Barclays Premier League with five titles, the UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and League Cup to his name. So have his achievements in Red outweighed his expectations when he arrived in 2006?

"It is hard to know really," he ponders. "I probably didn’t expect to be sitting here, nearly 10 years on. The day I first stepped through the doors, you couldn’t look too far ahead. It was about getting in the team, playing as well as I possibly could and seeing what happened after that.

"The first three years was pretty special and you just take it as it comes after that,” our no.16 admits. "I am still here, I am still fighting and looking to win some more."

United begin the new season against his former club Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in a fixture that will provide an early test for Louis van Gaal’s men at Old Trafford. Such a difficult fixture is perhaps not an ideal way to start a new campaign, although Carrick is excited for the challenge and cannot wait for kick-off.

"You can look at it in a number of ways," he says. "Look at it for them… It is a big test! You have to play everyone and we had pre-season to be ready for the first game. We have to be ready.

"It is going to be a tough game because they are a good side with some really good players. There is a little bit of unknown with it being the first game but, at the same time, we need to be right at it and on top of our game. If we do win, it will give us a great start and we will get a bit of momentum from there."

Almost three months since playing at Old Trafford, has Michael longed for the thrill of running out in front of a home crowd? "You do miss it!" he admits. "Going away on holiday and having three or four weeks off is nice but then you stop and look forward to coming back.

"You look forward to training, seeing the boys and the next one is playing at home. It is always nice to get that first match at home. The atmosphere has an extra special feeling for the first game of the season and hopefully we'll put on a good performance.”