Manchester United's Premier League season kicks off on Saturday, and Michael Carrick's decision to move the club away from pre-season tradition could prove to be a masterstroke. The Premier League giants spent the entirety of their pre-season tour in Europe, the first time the club have done so since 2002.
Breaking from Tradition
United have played outside their own continent every summer since 2003, aside from 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It brought mixed results on those occasions, with United subsequently finishing second in the Premier League table as well as reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals, Carabao Cup semi-finals and Europa League final in 2020/21.
A rollercoaster of a 2021/22 season followed, which saw Cristiano Ronaldo return to Old Trafford but the club finish sixth in the Premier League, exit the Carabao Cup in the third round, the FA Cup in the fourth round and the Champions League in the round of 16.
Revenue and Logistics
The club have regularly jetted off to the United States and Asia throughout the years because of the huge fanbase in those regions and the significant revenue they're able to bank. However, with players filtering back into the squad after their World Cup participation, the decision was made to avoid long-haul flights to prevent them from travelling back and forth across the world.
United's pre-season games took place in Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Republic of Ireland and Poland this summer, giving Carrick more time to work with his players on the training pitch. For Sir Alex Ferguson, the decision to keep United in Europe in 2002 proved a stroke of genius, as the iconic Scotsman led the side to the Premier League title that season.
Looking Ahead
Carrick's side may not be title favourites this year, but doing away with the constant flying and having more opportunity to work on the training pitch with his squad this summer could have a positive impact on their campaign. The payoff from the decision will first be seen in United's season opener away at Hull City on Saturday afternoon.
United then host Ipswich Town at Old Trafford before taking on Everton, Manchester City and Fulham before the first international break of the season. Carrick insisted his team will be ready for their clash at MKM Stadium when speaking to MUTV.com after losing 4-2 to AC Milan.
The 45-year-old said: "We've got a good squad, so there are decisions to be made. We've got a good week's training this week as well to get some more work in. So we'll be ready for next week. I think there's a whole different feeling when it's the first league game of the season, and we'll be there.
"The boys will have a day off tomorrow (Sunday) and then [will be] in for the rest of the week. Five days of training in different ways. Sometimes it's a little bit harder, sometimes it's a little bit more of a recovery [session].
"But we'll work through the week and be better for it. I think we look forward to it again. Having a whole squad back home, back at Carrington, and looking forward to the start."
How good that start is still remains to be seen, but Carrick has done all he can to give his United side the best chance possible on the pitch come Saturday.
