Manchester United Return to Champions League, Carrick: We Are Not Here Just to Make Up the Numbers

Manchester United will host Azerbaijani champions Sabah to begin their Champions League campaign this season. Ahead of the match, head coach Carrick made it clear that the team will not be satisfied with simply participating and wants to go as far as possible.

"Anything is possible."

Manchester United are returning to Europe's top competition for the first time since 2023. Their last appearance in the Champions League semifinals or final dates back to 2011, during Carrick's playing days. Despite this, Carrick refused to rule out any possibility and believes the players have the ability to create surprises.

"I think we have the ability to achieve something truly special in this competition and go further. At that stage, nobody knows what will happen. I will not rule out any possibility," Carrick said.

Not Just Enjoying the Atmosphere

Manchester United had an underwhelming start to their Premier League campaign, collecting only four points from their first three matches, but Carrick remains optimistic about their European prospects. He stressed that the team's goal is very clear: "We are delighted to be here, but we are not here to enjoy the atmosphere of the competition. We are here to do our job and go as far as possible."

Carrick also said the team wants to maintain an attacking mindset and that high expectations are a positive thing: "We want this expectation, we want this hope and belief, believing that we can achieve success quickly. This is the ultimate challenge. We have done a lot of excellent work in a very short period of time to get here, and that is down to the players."

Making the Champions League a Regular Presence

For Manchester United, the Champions League carries special significance. Carrick admitted: "It means a lot. We have missed this competition for several years, and now we are back, so it is hugely important. This is the stage we want to be on every year and the stage we should expect to be on, but we will not get ahead of ourselves."

Regarding the schedule, Manchester United still have the Manchester derby on Sunday, while Manchester City already completed their match on Tuesday, giving City two more days of rest than United. Carrick responded: "I would not say this is an ideal situation, but we have to make the most of what we have."

Luke Shaw Only Given Extra Recovery Time

Left-back Luke Shaw did not train on Wednesday. He had been ever-present in the Premier League last season, but Manchester United's more demanding schedule has led to questions over whether the veteran can play every match. Carrick explained: "We just gave him an extra recovery day. We will see how he is tomorrow. It is not a long-term issue, and it is not part of any plan. It is simply based on the recent match against Everton. Every player has different small issues that need to be managed, and Luke was one of them today."