Carrick backs Manchester United to compete despite finishing tenth in Premier League spending

Michael Carrick has declared Manchester United capable of competing for major trophies this season, even after a summer transfer window that left them the tenth-biggest spenders in the Premier League with an outlay of £163m.

United’s recruitment of Karl Darlow, Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and teenage winger Tynan Thompson was dwarfed by the spending of their traditional rivals. Manchester City invested £472m, Chelsea £351m and Tottenham £334m — and both newly-promoted sides Hull City and Ipswich Town also outspent United.

Carrick acknowledged the financial gap but pushed back on the idea that transfer expenditure alone determines success. “The actual amount of money in the end, I understand it can be a big thing,” he said. “It doesn’t always have to be the answer, but it can be. Money’s one thing, what you do with it is another thing, how you make the most of it is another thing. It’s about what happens on the pitch at the end of the day.”

Under Ineos, United adopted a more disciplined approach in the market, stepping back from moves for Elliot Anderson — who joined Manchester City for £116m — and Mateus Fernandes, who moved to Spurs for £85m, on the grounds that the fees did not represent value.

The restraint creates a tension at the top of the club. Chief executive Omar Berrada has spoken publicly about challenging for the title within the next two seasons and has set ambitious targets for United’s return to the Champions League, placing Carrick under pressure to deliver while watching rivals strengthen considerably.

Carrick, however, pointed to the momentum built at the end of last season as grounds for optimism. No Premier League side accumulated more points than United across his 19 games in charge, though that run came after the club’s elimination from domestic cup competitions freed them to focus solely on the league from mid-January.

“We’ve strengthened the group from what we had last season, and we finished the season really strong,” Carrick said. “We’re really positive with where we can get to. Realistic from where we’ve been, but we know where we want to get to, and we’re really positive that we can.”

The 45-year-old also highlighted the winning habit his squad has developed, with just three defeats recorded during his tenure, as a foundation he expects to carry into the new campaign.