Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said his side’s third-place finish in the Premier League was “something to build on” after ending the season with a convincing 3-0 away result over Brighton on Sunday.
- +Carrick hails Man United’s third-place finish after Brighton win
The former Manchester United midfielder was confirmed as the club’s new permanent head coach on a two-year contract on Friday after overseeing a dramatic turnaround in form at Old Trafford following Rúben Amorim’s departure in January.
The former Manchester United midfielder was confirmed as the club’s new permanent head coach on a two-year contract on Friday after overseeing a dramatic turnaround in form at Old Trafford following Rúben Amorim’s departure in January.
Carrick secured Champions League qualification with three matches to spare, while the Red Devils sealed third place after last weekend’s dramatic 3-2 Premier League win against Nottingham Forest.
United continued their impressive run under Carrick with a 12th victory in 17 matches as Patrick Dorgu opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before Bryan Mbeumo and captain Bruno Fernandes added further goals either side of half-time.
“We’ve finished strong,” Carrick told the BBC.
“We had a good run, and third place was kind of confirmed, so I like the way we finished from that and carried it on.
“We had a real focus that it wasn’t the end of the season; it was the next stage, and today epitomised that with how well the boys approached the game. It gives us a platform to build on for next season.”
Fernandes also set a new outright Premier League record of 21 assists in a single season after delivering the corner from which Dorgu headed United into the lead against Brighton.
The Portugal international later made it 3-0 in the 48th minute with a low finish for his ninth league goal of the campaign.
The assist record came just a day after Fernandes was named the Premier League Player of the Season, having already claimed the Football Writers’ Association award.
