Carrick Rejects Soft Start Claims as Manchester United Faces Hull

Michael Carrick is having none of it.

Suggestions that Manchester United have been handed a soft launch to the new Premier League season drew a sharp response from the head coach, who branded the idea “ridiculous” as his side prepare for an opening trip to Hull.

United begin away at the Championship play-off winners on Saturday, then host Ipswich at Old Trafford on 30 August – back-to-back fixtures against newly promoted clubs that have prompted talk of an ideal platform for another fast start. After last season’s third-place finish and Carrick’s subsequent appointment on a permanent basis, many expect United to surge out of the blocks.

Carrick pushed back hard.

“A newly promoted team away from home is a tough game,” he said, leaning on his own years of experience. “I’ve been involved in them in the past so I’m fully aware of what’s coming at us on Saturday and what we’ve got to be ready for.

“It’s not favourable. It’s an easy thing to throw out there but it’s pretty ridiculous. I’m not taking it that way at all.”

Hull, buoyed by promotion and a first home game back in the top flight, will treat United’s visit as a statement occasion. Ipswich, next up at Old Trafford, will arrive with the same energy and nothing to lose.

Carrick’s message cuts through the noise: there are no freebies in this league, and if United want to build on last season’s progress, they will have to earn every early point – starting on Saturday.