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It’s just one game: Carrick downplays Man United’s opening defeat to Hull City
22nd August, 2026 06:23 PM
Michael Carrick has expressed his disappointment after Manchester United opened their Premier League season with a 2-0 defeat to newly promoted Hull City at the KCOM Stadium.
However, Carrick remained adamant that his team has a lot to learn and improve on from their opening performance on enemy territory on Saturday, August 22, 2026.
Need to improve
“It was not going to be perfect today, but we have to improve. Going behind gave us a lot to do. We later had the opportunities, but we could not put them away,” he stated.
Carrick also reacted to the manner in which United conceded from set pieces—an area where he noted the team had performed well last season.
“Regarding the set-pieces, we have been good at them, but we clearly have to improve. To concede twice from set-pieces is obviously very frustrating,” he said.
Nevertheless, he insisted that the defeat will not alter the overall tactical direction or approach the team plans to take moving forward this season.
“That is one game. It is the first game of the season. One game doesn’t change the whole direction of everything and how we intend to proceed, but we need to be aware of where we need to improve. We will stay calm in our bubble and focus on the next game,” Carrick added.
Meanwhile, Sergej Jakirović highlighted the win as a huge boost in their bid to avoid relegation following their long-awaited Premier League return.
The manager admitted he did not realise the victory was a record-breaking achievement, as Hull claimed a first-ever top-flight win over their rivals after ten unsuccessful attempts, adding, “It was a good day. Given our intensity, we knew we’d have periods out of possession, but this gives us massive belief. We struggled with set pieces last season—scoring just two or three—so it’s great to see what we worked on during the week pay off.”
United will next play Ipswich Town in their home opener at Old Trafford on Sunday, August 30, 2026. The encounter will precede an encounter against Everton before the Manchester Derby takes center stage a week later against Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City.
