Manchester United have all but secured Champions League football but Michael Carrick has urged the team not to celebrate it excessively given what they want to achieve
Michael Carrick has told Manchester United they "should not be over-celebrating" Champions League qualification as their ambitions should be far higher.
The head coach, whose future beyond this season is still unclear, has all but guided the team into the top five with four games to go. United sit third, 11 points ahead of Brighton in sixth. It would take a monumental collapse for them to miss out on Europe's elite club competition.
Securing Champions League football is a huge plus, not only for the financial revenue, but because it looked beyond them for long periods this term. Carrick has inspired an upturn in form since replacing Ruben Amorim in the dugout.
United's win over Brentford on Monday was their ninth win in 13 games - making them one of the Premier League's form teams in that period. But Carrick maintains they should be aiming higher and simply qualifying for the tournament is not cause for mass celebrations.
He said: "We've given ourselves a great chance, we've put ourselves in a big position. It's a tough league, it's tough to get wins. You can see that throughout the league. To get the amount of wins we've had. I think the lads have got to take a bit of credit for that.
"The Champions League is one thing, but it's not something that we should be over-celebrating either. We want to be finishing high up the league really and we want to be challenging high up in the league and trying to get more points so our season doesn't get to a close when that happens."
Carrick was part of United teams that dominated the Premier League. After joining in 2006 the midfielder went on to claim five titles and the Champions League. That winning environment left the club with Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement and the team have been unable to mount a title charge for more than a decade.
Despite United holding off on making a decision around their manager Jamie Carragher insists the club cannot look anywhere but to Carrick given what he's done at the club.
"He's going to be the Manchester United manager, certainly next season, no doubt about that - and you can't say he doesn't deserve it," he said on Sky Sports. "They are absolutely sensational results. They're the results of a title-winning team, or a team going for the league.
"Now I know that pressure isn't on Manchester United right now, they haven't got European fixtures, all these other things will come into it, but I don't think anybody could have come in and done any better results-wise."
Nebbdmnrsy
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mn utd going to the champion league with their weak defenders they won't manager trust me
Suarezzy
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they are celebrating 3rd position worldwide and it kinda embarrassing, yes celebrate but don't over celebrate you should be targeting the league not celebrating 3rd position despite playing only the epl this season despite all your signings ,but despite that a win is a win it could have been worse
Roaeklrtu
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United would be batting Relegation last season if Ipswitch and Southampton weren’t so bad, champions league qualification should be celebrated as if they had won it.
Learn clap for others when they're happy not critizing always.
Jaheem100
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United would be batting Relegation last season if Ipswitch and Southampton weren’t so bad, champions league qualification should be celebrated as if they had won it.