Carrick Rejects Soft Start Narrative as United Face Hull

Michael Carrick has brushed aside suggestions that Manchester United have been handed a soft launch to their Premier League campaign, branding the idea “ridiculous” as his side prepare for a bruising opening away to Hull.

United begin their season on Saturday against the Championship play-off winners, before welcoming Ipswich, another newly promoted side, to Old Trafford on 30 August. On paper, it looks gentle. Carrick wants no part of that narrative.

Claims that United should cruise through August, carry over the momentum from last season’s third-place finish and instantly justify the club’s decision to hand him the job permanently have gathered pace. Carrick cut straight through them.

“A newly promoted team away from home is a tough game,” he said, drawing on his own experience of early-season ambushes. He knows what those fixtures can turn into: tight grounds, fired‑up crowds, opponents desperate to prove they belong.

“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,” he added.

The suggestion that United’s schedule is kind borders on insulting in his eyes. “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.”

Carrick has made his stance clear. If United are going to justify last season’s surge and his permanent appointment, it will not be because the calendar did them any favours. It will be because they walk into places like Hull, expect a fight, and win it anyway.