Carrick: Champions League return means 'an awful lot' | OneFootball

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has emphasised how important the Champions League is to his team in their first game in the competition in just under three years.

The most recent time the Red Devils were in this competition was in the group phase of the 2023/24 season when they limped out of the competition finishing bottom of Group A.

That last game was at Old Trafford in December 2023 and saw United lose 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich under Erik ten Hag. However, the damage had already been done prior to that in defeats to Galatasaray and FC Kobenhavn. 

"It means an awful lot," Carrick said about his side returning to the competition. 

"This football club has been used to challenging with the best and being the best and it's not something we take for granted. We've missed out on it for a number of years so it means a lot, it's where we expect to be. We've made huge steps over the past few months to make it in to be in this position. Now it's about what's next, the next phase, this is certainly where we want to be."

United make the return in what should be a relatively straightforward game against Azerbaijan side Sabah but Carrick emphasised that his team were 'aware' of the threats of the relative minnows.

Indeed, United been on the wrong side of shock scorelines in Europe before but Carrick wants his side to learn from those games: "We have to be humble enough to understand what recent history we've had. It doesn't take away the desire and expectation to be successful, but we need to be realistic. It's a really balanced view. It's what ahead of us that matters, whether that's coming into this in good shape or not.

"We've got a team that's really ready for this phase, we need to learn and keep improving."

The Champions League has often been an important stage for United with Carrick explaining: "It's a magical competition, it's where we want to be. We want to make the most of it, we've seen special nights over the years and it's where we want to be. 

"It's the best competition to challenge yourself against the best. We're delighted to be here, but we're not here just to enjoy the occasion. We're here to do business."

United's return to the competition will see them have to do a quick turnaround ahead of Sunday's game against local rivals Manchester City who will be refreshed after playing on Tuesday evening.