Manchester United interim boss Michael Carrick has pushed back against suggestions that his side have been handed a soft opening to the new Premier League campaign, insisting the perception is far from reality.United begin the season away to play-off winners Hull City before hosting fellow newly promoted side Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, a schedule that has led some to assume the Red Devils will enjoy an easy entry into the new term. Carrick was quick to reject that notion."It's not favourable," Carrick said. "It's an easy thing to throw out there but it's pretty ridiculous. It's a tough start; both teams. I am not getting past Saturday. I'm fully aware of what's coming at us."History offers some support for Carrick's caution. Only twice before in the Premier League era have United opened a season against two newly promoted clubs, and on neither occasion did Sir Alex Ferguson's teams win both matches. In 2001, United needed a late David Beckham equaliser to draw 2-2 at Blackburn after coming from behind against Fulham. In 2009, despite having reached the Champions League final just months earlier, United beat Birmingham by a single Wayne Rooney goal before losing at Burnley, who themselves had come up through the play-offs.
United last opened a season with back-to-back wins in 2017-18 under Jose Mourinho, thrashing West Ham 4-0 before winning at Swansea. More recent campaigns have been far bumpier - last season Ruben Amorim's reign began with a home defeat by Arsenal and a draw at Fulham, while the 2022-23 season started disastrously with defeats to Brighton at home and Brentford away by four goals, a slump that prompted a hefty round of late transfer activity.Alongside on-field questions, there is growing unease among United supporters over the pace of summer recruitment. The club's only major signing so far has been Youri Tielemans, who joined from Aston Villa for £35m on 14 July. Talks remain ongoing with Brighton over a potential deal for Cameroon international Carlos Baleba, though nothing has yet been finalised. Concerns persist over the club's reliance on Luke Shaw as their only recognised left-back, given his injury history.Carrick acknowledged the need for further additions. "We are looking to strengthen the squad," he said. "We are certainly working towards that."United's history suggests deadline-day business is something of a tradition at Old Trafford. For six consecutive seasons, the club has completed at least one significant deal in the closing days of the transfer window - including Senne Lammens' £18.1m move from Royal Antwerp last year, Manuel Ugarte's £50.8m switch from PSG in 2024, and the loan signings of Sergio Reguilon and Sofyan Amrabat in 2023. The £81.3m capture of Antony in 2022 remains United's second-most expensive signing ever, behind only Paul Pogba, while the sensational return of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021 also arrived amid deadline-day frenzy - though it ultimately failed to deliver the anticipated revival.With the transfer window set to close at 23:00 BST on 1 September, attention will remain fixed on whether United can add further depth before facing Hull and Ipswich.Despite the uncertainty, Carrick remains bullish about his side's prospects following an impressive end to last season, in which he won 12 of his 15 matches in interim charge. "It's going to be a jump," Carrick said. "It doesn't really matter whether I say we can or we can't - and I would never say we can't by the way; I don't believe that. It's about what we do, what we can do and what we are capable of doing as a group. The run of form from last season gives us a lot of confidence but we know there is a whole new step to make. It's exciting. We have the potential to achieve things - we will definitely give it everything we can. We have to believe we are a good team and can do good things."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.