Michael Carrick has sent a powerful message about Manchester United’s lack of Champions League football amid the Red Devils’ top-four challenge this season.
The last time that Manchester United competed in the Champions League was under former Ajax and Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag in the 2023-24 campaign.
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Man Utd finished bottom of Group A at the time, with Galatasaray, Copenhagen and Bayern Munich all finishing ahead of the Red Devils in the aforementioned season.
The Premier League club have been starved of European football this season after missing out on a route back to the Champions League under Ruben Amorim.
Ruben Amorim led United to the final of the Europa League in 2025 and the Red Devils suffered a 1-0 defeat to fellow Premier League side Tottenham in Bilbao.
Michael Carrick on Man Utd being left out of the Champions League ahead of the Everton match
Michael Carrick’s return to Old Trafford and impact at Manchester United in only a matter of weeks has catapulted the Red Devils into a top-four challenge.
United are now fifth in the Premier League table and Carrick’s men are level on points with fourth-place Chelsea ahead of the Everton match on Monday.
Chelsea climbed ahead of Man Utd to fourth place after the 10-man Blues were held to a 1-1 Premier League draw against Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
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Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Carrick said that United must be in the Champions League for the 2026-27 season after their absence from the competition.
“It’s been two years since this club was in the Champions League,” he explained, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“That feels like too long for a club of this size and magnitude. Yeah, of course it’s where we want to be. It’s where we want to be.
“You know, we’ve had success in this competition before and some great experiences in this competition and for all sorts of different reasons, it’s where we want to be, so it’s definitely what we’re pushing for.”
All eyes are on Michael Carrick for the remaining 12 Premier League matches for Man Utd amid the Champions League qualification race
The Red Devils have won four of their opening five Premier League matches under Carrick after Ruben Amorim was sacked as Man Utd manager in January.
The 44-year-old United legend avoided his first Premier League defeat as interim head coach this season after the late draw at the London Stadium this month.
West Ham hosted Man Utd for their Premier League match and Benjamin Sesko climbed off the bench and netted an injury-time equaliser in the 1-1 result.
A win or a draw against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday evening would be enough to move United back into the Premier League top four.
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