Manchester United manager, Michael Carrick, has called on supporters to remain optimistic despite the club’s 4-2 pre-season defeat to AC Milan in Poland.
The Red Devils twice took the lead but were unable to hold on, as Milan mounted a strong comeback to claim victory in United’s final pre-season outing.
Carrick acknowledged that his team’s display was below the required standard but insisted there were factors behind the disappointing performance.
“Today, we’re disappointed with it. We didn’t play well today. There are reasons for that and we need to improve,” he told the media.
The former United midfielder noted that several players were making their first appearances of the pre-season, but stressed that the circumstances should not be used as an excuse.
“Some of the boys were playing their first minutes. Different reasons – but no excuses. We didn’t play very well,” Carrick told reporters following the final whistle.
Despite the loss, Carrick believes United have made sufficient progress during pre-season and will be prepared for the start of the Premier League campaign.
“Overall, we are ready for next week. A lot of the boys will be better off for the minutes. We’ve done a lot of work on the training pitch, the performances in the games have been pretty good. We’re still in good spirits going into next week.”
United will now turn their attention to their Premier League opener against Hull City, with Carrick hoping the lessons from the Milan defeat will help his side begin the new campaign strongly.
