Manchester United boss Michael Carrick is determined to keep pushing to improve his squad this summer.
Carrick is about to begin his first full Premier League campaign in charge at Old Trafford.
He is acutely aware of the responsibilities that come with being the public face of such a worldwide institution, which he says it is a “privilege” to lead.
However, it also means having to address thorny issues with the media, which currently include a perceived lack of signings.
Carrick says he is delighted with United’s business so far – they have spent £83m to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, with the out-of-contract Karl Darlow also joining as back-up goalkeeper.
However, with weaknesses at left-back and in central midfield, as they prepare for a return to the Champions League after a two-year absence, Carrick knows the work cannot stop now.
Because in a summer where his club missed out on key targets such as Elliot Anderson and Matheus Fernandes because they refused to match rival offers and are spending less than newly promoted Ipswich and Coventry, Carrick knows more transfer business needs to be done despite a desire to avoid the costly mistakes of the past.
“We want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that,” he said.
“Money’s money, I get that. We feel like we have to be pushing for everything we’re involved in, while being realistic of what the recent history’s looked like over a period of time.
“For now, we’ve got to make the most of it, but we’ve got to push every boundary we can to be able to win again, basically.
“That’s the challenge.”
