rewrite this title Michael Carrick: Man United have ‘great foundation’ before Arsenal ‘challenge’

Michael Carrick is prepared for a “big challenge” at table-topping Arsenal but says there is a quiet confidence around Manchester United after last weekend’s derby triumph.

The former Red Devils midfielder, captain and coach enjoyed a fine start to life as head coach by masterminding last weekend’s impressive 2-0 win over Manchester City.

United deserved to win by a greater scoreline and take the confidence from that surprise success to north London, where a clash with Premier League leaders Arsenal awaits on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s been a good week,” Carrick said. “It was a big result, a big performance and a big uplift, you know, with the feeling inside the stadium.

“It’s getting that balance between taking the encouragement and the confidence from the game itself and the performance and keeping level-headed and the feet on the ground.

“We’ve got another big game coming up and one game doesn’t make you a great team, it gives us a great foundation to build on.

“There’s a lot of confidence, a lot of good feeling within the group but measured with that, and we know what’s coming and we’ve got to be ready for it.”

Arsenal entered this round of fixtures boasting a seven-point cushion at the top of the standings and have an impressive recent record against United.

Mikel Arteta’s side have beaten United in their last four Premier League meetings at the Emirates Stadium and edged a 1-0 win at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the season.

“I’m looking forward to the game,” Carrick said. “It’s a big challenge. They’re a very good team. It’s pretty obvious to say that. They’ve got so many strong points to their game, and to their squad.

“It’s a big challenge, they are where they are for a reason and where they are in the Champions League for a reason, so we’re fully aware of that and not taking that lightly at all.

“We feel we’re in a good place and we’re looking forward to the game, so it’s where we want to be, with that real positive energy and enthusiasm, to go there and be positive, but for sure we know it’s not going to come easy.”

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Arsenal’s set-piece prowess will be a major focus for United, who have slipped behind a side that they used to compete with for titles when Carrick was a player.

“We’ve got our ideas and what needs to be done and how we need to get there,” the former midfielder added.

“Credit to Arsenal, they’re in a really strong place at the moment, they’ve built a squad and a group and Mikel takes a lot of credit for that. He has done a fantastic job.

“We’ve got our own ideas on what we need to do and what it’s going to take to get there, that’s what we’ll keep working towards.”