Carrick shares striking words ahead of Man Utd's quest to repeat victory over Man City in the Premier League Manchester Derby.
On 11 September 2026, Michael Carrick, Manchester United's manager, gave a recent interview at the pre-match press conference ahead of the first Manchester Derby of the 2026-27 English Premier League season, week 3.
Manchester United is scheduled to host city rivals Manchester City on Sunday, 13 September. Their last meeting saw the "Red Devils" win 2-0 in Carrick's first game as interim manager, replacing Rúben Amorim after his dismissal in January.
Michael Carrick spoke about his first Manchester Derby as permanent Man Utd manager: "We will not rush to conclusions or predict the game style in advance. Although we won last year, we won’t do everything exactly the same."
Manchester City holds the advantage of more rest time, having played the first group stage match of the UEFA Champions League away against Porto on Tuesday, 8 September, winning 2-0. Meanwhile, Manchester United played at home, beating Sabah FK 4-0 on Thursday, 10 September.
However, Carrick did not want to use this as an excuse, saying sharply, "I feel our team is continuously improving, which is good for us. We understand this is a big and very important game, with high stakes."
"We are all looking forward to this match. Although rest and preparation time are limited, we will make the most of the time we have."
The Man Utd manager also praised their rivals, saying, "They are an excellent team performing very well. They have a squad capable of rotating players, which is their current strength."
"We know we must show our best performance if we want the results we aim for."