Carrick urges calm after United’s opening-day shock to Hull
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick defended his squad following a 2-0 defeat at newly promoted Hull City, citing early positives despite a loss that ended their previous season’s momentum.
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has urged his players to look beyond the result following a 2-0 opening-day defeat at newly promoted Hull City. The loss at the MKM Stadium marked a significant setback for United, who finished third in the previous season and had entered the new campaign with high expectations under Carrick, who returned to the club in January.
Hull City, returning to the top flight for the first time since 2017, secured a shock victory through first-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy. The win was particularly notable as it represented Hull’s first victory over United in over 50 years, achieved despite the Tigers being missing as many as eight first-team players due to injury.
Despite United losing 63 per cent of their duels and two-thirds of their headers in the first half, Carrick insisted the team had "done some good things." He argued that a single loss should not lead to an over-analysis of the squad’s capabilities, noting that the side had moments and opportunities but lacked the final spark to convert them.
Captain Bruno Fernandes offered a more critical perspective, highlighting a lack of aggression and intensity from his team-mates. Fernandes pointed out that Hull’s goalkeeper had the most touches in the first 20 minutes and that United had conceded both goals from set pieces, a tactical weakness he believed the team had anticipated.
The match saw the competitive debuts of new signings Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans for United, with Carlos Baleba expected to join the squad soon. Carrick acknowledged the difficulty of playing against a newly promoted team at home, stating that such opponents have a lot to hold onto and require a high level of intensity to break down.
While the defeat has raised early questions about United’s title aspirations, Carrick maintained that the squad would not be knocked by the result. He emphasised the need to find answers and improve on specific areas, particularly in their approach to set pieces and physical duels, as the season progresses.
