IT HAS been so long since Manchester United last reached the Champions League final that Michael Carrick was in his twenties.
Carrick started in all three of United’s finals in four seasons between 2008 and 2011, scoring a spotkick in the tense shootout victory against Chelsea in Moscow.
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“It’s a one-off feeling,” Carrick, now 45, said of United’s 2008 triumph. “An instant kind of emotion.
“Definitely winning the Champions League is the best feeling I’ve been lucky enough to have as a footballer.”
Carrick described it as a “magical competition” upon United’s first fixture in the Champions League in 1,003 days against Sabah FK.
But their record in the Champions League since their last final appearance 15 years ago is dismal. There have been a mere two quarter-final appearances, four group stage eliminations and United failed to qualify for the competition in six seasons.
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This campaign marks United’s first foray into the Champions League since the format change in 2024, but they have been saddled with a tie that resembles the Europa League or Conference League.
Sabah on a Thursday night is not a fixture to set the pulses racing and Old Trafford has not sold out. Tastier ties await against Atletico Madrid, Roma, Bayern Munich et al.
“When you’re out of it, you realise how special it is,” Carrick added. “And when you’re in it, you want to make the most of it.
“I think we’ve all seen some special, special nights and felt some special things in this competition over the years, and it’s where we want to be, it’s where we want to get back to.
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“And it’s the best competition to challenge yourself and to push against the best, and we’re delighted to be here.
“But we’re not here to just enjoy the occasion. We’re here to do business and go as far as we possibly can.”
Bruno Fernandes has only appeared in two Champions League knockout ties in almost seven years – both against Atletico in the round-of-16 in 2022.
United have been such also-rans in the competition in recent times that their quarter-final appearances post-2011 came under David Moyes in 2014 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2019.
Carrick is cut from the same cloth as his friend Solskjaer, having coached under him before being pitted against him to replace Ruben Amorim in January.
He is adamant United can achieve a level of prominence in Europe that would safeguard Fernandes’ future amid the prospect of a new contract.
“We certainly can achieve it,” Carrick replied. “We’re capable of achieving it.
“It’s up to us to obviously then take the step of doing that.
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“I think we’ve got to be humble enough and realistic enough to know where we’re coming from, and where we want to get to.
“Like you say, Bruno’s only played in that one. So It’s part of us to keep pushing the standards and to be the best we can possibly be.
“We want to be there as quickly as possible as everybody does, but, again, it’s understanding the steps that need to be put in place to be able to do that.
“And we’re capable of some really, really good things, you know, especially on our day, we feel that we can go up against anybody and come out on top.
“And it’s up to us to bring that over a consistent period and consistency through games.
“In the end, that gets you the results, and hopefully puts us in those stages that you’re talking about.”
Carrick did not want to specify what would constitute a successful run for United, with Sabah the first of eight matches in the league phase.
“I don’t think it’s if we get to a certain stage, that’s a success,” he added. “And if we don’t, it’s not.
“We’ve got to embrace the new challenge that we’re facing as a group. I think we are capable of doing some really good things in this competition, and going further down the line in this competition, and then who knows when it gets to that stage?
“I’m not writing anything off, but, again, taking a step by step, and certainly not getting ahead of ourselves because some part of it is a new experience for some of the players.”
Bryan Mbeumo, sat next to Carrick for United’s pre-match press conference, admitted he had never watched a Champions League draw until last month’s.
Carrick uncharacteristically injected some repartee when he ribbed Mbeumo over whether he preferred to play on the right wing or up front.
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“He prefers playing on the left, he told me,” Carrick chuckled, patting the winger.
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Carrick ended on a more business-like note: “To win the Chapman’s League for me was the ultimate and was the best feeding I’ve had.
“It’d be nice someday to feel that again.”