Carrick rejects claims of favourable Manchester United fixtures
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has dismissed suggestions that his side have been given an easy start to the Premier League season, calling the idea "ridiculous". The claim arose because United's opening two fixtures are against newly promoted sides, prompting speculation that Carrick could readily extend the strong form that saw him win 12 of his 15 matches in interim charge last season, a run that earned him the job permanently. Carrick insisted both games would be tough and that he was focused only on the first, away at Hull City.
United travel to Championship play-off winners Hull on Saturday before hosting fellow promoted club Ipswich Town at Old Trafford. Carrick also addressed fan frustration over a quiet transfer window, with only Youri Tielemans signed for £35m since 14 July and talks ongoing with Brighton over Carlos Baleba, saying the club were "certainly working towards" strengthening the squad. The article notes this pattern is typical for United, who have signed a senior player on or near deadline day in each of the last six seasons, and that on the only two previous occasions their opening fixtures came against promoted sides, under Sir Alex Ferguson, they failed to win both games.
- Carrick rejects claims United face an easy Premier League opening
- United face Hull away, then Ipswich at home, first
- Club still pursuing transfer targets like Brighton's Carlos Baleba
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Manchester United enter this Premier League season under Michael Carrick, who took over as interim head coach last term and did well enough to be given the job permanently. His side finished third in the league, a marked improvement that has raised expectations for the new campaign.
The season opens with United facing two clubs newly promoted from the Championship, Hull City away and then Ipswich Town at home. Because promoted sides are often seen as weaker opposition, some have suggested this gives United an easy run-in to build early momentum, a view Carrick disputes based on his own experience of such fixtures being difficult.
The story matters as an early test of whether Carrick's promising interim form can carry over now he holds the job full-time, and it touches on a broader debate about how fixture difficulty is judged in football.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Newly promoted sides, whilst achieving their position through sporting merit, typically operate with smaller budgets, less established Premier League infrastructure, and squads without extensive top-flight experience. They face inherent competitive disadvantages against significantly better-resourced established clubs. Therefore, opening fixtures against Hull and Ipswich represent a reasonable opportunity for United to capitalise on these structural differences and build early momentum.
The case against
Promoted sides are proven winners who have demonstrated quality through hard-earned advancement, arriving with squad cohesion, recent competitive success, and confidence. Hull and Ipswich have shown themselves capable of competing at the highest level. Furthermore, United's own historical record cautions against complacency: under Ferguson, the club failed to win both opening games when promoted sides formed their early-season fixtures. Every Premier League opponent presents serious challenges.
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Originally published by BBC Sport as “Carrick dismisses ‘ridiculous’ Man Utd easy start talk”.