Carrick explains Manchester United's pre-season schedule, ready for the Champions League! Baleba at risk of being hijacked by Newcastle

This week, Manchester United has scheduled three friendly matches, facing Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds United, and AC Milan. Head coach Carrick stated that this arrangement is highly prescient, aiming to prepare for the dual challenges of the Premier League and Champions League in the new season by getting accustomed to the pace early.

After Carrick took over last season, Manchester United only had the Premier League to focus on, without any cup matches. However, after finishing third in the Premier League last season, the Red Devils have returned to the Champions League. The new season will no longer be a single-front campaign, and the schedule will certainly be more packed. According to the calendar, the Champions League group stage draw is scheduled for midnight on August 28.

Recently, people have often asked head coach Carrick how Manchester United will cope with the increased intensity of matches. However, he emphasized that this is not a problem; compared to last season's slower pace, United is more adaptable to such a busy schedule.

'For the upcoming season with the Champions League, our level of preparation might be even higher than last season!' Carrick told the official Manchester United program 'Inside Carrington'. 'People often ask me: "How are you going to handle the upcoming season?" For the players, and of course for me and the coaching staff, we are actually more accustomed to dealing with seasons that require a lot of matches rather than seasons with very few games.'

Even when he was coaching Middlesbrough, Carrick was often criticized for only using the same starting lineup and not being good at multi-front operations. But he personally completely disagrees: 'The latter part of last season was undoubtedly a huge challenge for the players, with only one match per week, which meant many players didn't get opportunities to play. We would think: "When will I get to play next?" To unite everyone and make them a cohesive unit, a lot of training time was needed. But this year, the situation is different.'

Carrick explained: 'After the season starts, training time will decrease, but players need to take on more responsibility. This might be closer to the schedule pattern we are used to in the past, and with new competitions constantly emerging, the situation will become even more interesting.'

The Manchester United boss revealed that he found the players full of fighting spirit, willing to compete, and wanting more playing time. 'One important thing is that the boys are always hungry and feel that it's never enough. That's really great, we love it, but we want to see more,' Carrick said. 'Eventually you become greedy; you need to be insatiable for honors. So, of course, we won't sit here talking about last season, saying that it was okay and we achieved good results. Actually, no one is talking about such things. I think deep down you still use that feeling and experience, but the key is what we are going to do next and what actions we need to take.'

Manchester United played in Sweden last Saturday, then went to Ireland for training and a match, and this weekend they travel to Poland. With three games in a week against Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds United, and AC Milan, it's like simulating the opponents and travel style of the new season. Carrick believes fans have reason to look forward to the new season: 'Hopefully, we certainly have expectations. At the end of the day, I am also a Manchester United fan, and I am very much looking forward to it.'

Carrick concluded: 'Rather than saying I played a role, it's that the players truly felt this and are full of anticipation. What I can tell you is that for the entire team, whether players, coaches, or other staff, we are all involved for the right reasons.'

Of course, Manchester United is currently considered not good enough, especially in the defensive midfield position. Carrick has no outstanding defensive midfielder in his squad. In fact, the only main defensive midfielder, Ugarte, may have already been ruled out for the season due to a serious injury sustained at the World Cup.

Brighton's Carlos Baleba has been continuously linked with Manchester United since last year, and he has always dreamed of joining the Red Devils. However, the Daily Mail reports that Newcastle United may now hijack the deal. The 'Seagulls' still demand £80 million, and it remains to be seen whether the 'Magpies' are willing to pay. Moreover, Baleba is currently injured and may miss the start of the new season.