Michael Carrick believes Manchester United are "not that far away" from challenging for the Premier League title, despite the club's worst start to a league season in 40 years.
Project 150 and the 2028 target
Two years ago, Omar Berrada revealed 'Project 150' to staff at Old Trafford, outlining a plan to win the Premier League in 2028, coinciding with the club's 150th anniversary. Berrada was asked about the target over the summer and said: "Ideally, we do it next season, and if not, then the following season. I think we're in a good place. We've seen some really good progress on the pitch this season, and we're going to continue building on that."
However, United have made their worst start to a Premier League season in 40 years, and Lisandro Martinez suggested the squad wasn't adequately strengthened in the summer after facing Atletico Madrid. Some United players expected more investment from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers to kick on this season, but Carrick believes the Reds are not as far away from mounting a challenge as critics have claimed.
Carrick's perspective on the challenge
When Carrick was asked if he felt the 2028 title target was a realistic ambition considering the trajectory of the club, he said: "I think it depends on what you're talking about when you mention the direction at the moment."
"You know, we've had a spell where we haven't won some football games, all right? Correct me if I'm wrong, are we four points off the top four or something? So perspective is important and football can change."
"I think when we came in in January, we were a lot further away from third spot and we ended up finishing third. So it depends on what you focus on. You know, if you focus on some things, there are maybe issues or problems that we need to fix, or you focus on the things that are possible and what can be achieved, and it's a very different mentality."
"For us to win the Premier League is a massive step, of course it is, but it's definitely something we're striving for, you know, and we've got to keep pushing for it. You know, we've won one game in the Champions League, we've lost one game, all right? We're still in that, we're still in the mix of that and we're certainly still in the mix of the Premier League in finishing towards the top. That's a challenge and it feels, because of the results, everyone focuses on the negative side. And it's up to us to turn that corner, but it's actually not that far away."
No time frame on the goal
Asked if Berrada or Jason Wilcox mentioned 'Project 150' to him when he was hired on a permanent basis in May, Carrick responded: "I think the goal, being at this football club, the goal is always to win."
"There's no time frame on that from my perspective. It's as soon as we possibly can. And I think we understand we're still making steps to get there. I've spoken about it enough, I think."
"You know, we're trying to build to get to somewhere where we haven't been for too long. I know that, and sometimes you've got to go through, you know, different ways and different pathways to get to the top. We're on that kind of journey in some ways at the moment to try and get there, navigating that and we'll work through it. We'll work through it."
