On September 13, at 15:30 CEST, Manchester United will host Manchester City in the Manchester Derby for Matchday 3 of the Premier League. After the first home match of the UEFA Champions League group stage against Shabab Al Ahli, Manchester United head coach Carrick held a pre-match press conference for this game. After the media embargo period expired, the content of the press conference has been made public. This article is the second part of the press conference.

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Michael, when Elliot Anderson signed with Manchester City, he said that growing up, "Manchester City are the kings of Manchester" was just a fact of life. Do you think that accurately reflects the current state of this derby?

I would definitely not use that word (kings of Manchester), no, but I understand what he's saying. I think, going into tonight's game and talking about expectations, it's nice that in a way the expectation has flipped. Suddenly, the demands on us are different compared to a few months ago.

We made it into the Champions League, which in itself shows the progress we have made, and we need to advance to the latter stages of the Champions League, and with that comes higher expectations. We understand that, and we are humble and realistic enough to know the ups and downs we have experienced in recent history. We want to do better, and we want to challenge more. That's where we are right now. This doesn't mean we can't or won't do it. We still have hope and belief, and we expect that we can and should reach that level, but I also understand the broader context.

Hi, Michael, can I ask about Tielemans? Is he the kind of technical midfielder Manchester United might have been missing since you left?

I don't really want to talk about myself, but as I said earlier when talking about the four midfielders who played tonight, they are all very technical, capable of controlling the ball and moving it forward, whether through passing, running, or dribbling, to advance and connect the game. It's great to have such players and integrate them into the team.

Tielemans has adapted very well, and André has also adapted wonderfully. Mount, what we ask him to do might be slightly different from what he has done in the past, but I think you've seen tonight and in pre-season how natural it is for him to do these things. Going back to Tielemans, I think his form is improving with every game, and you can see the connection and understanding between the players continuously growing.

I imagine taking on this job and preparing the players before the first match against Manchester City was a whirlwind. Did you ever think at that time that nine months later you would be doing well enough to earn a permanent long-term coaching contract and face Manchester City again? Did that thought ever cross your mind back then?

Yes, I think I actually said very early on that I always planned to stay here for the long term. Every decision we made was based on the premise that we would be coaching here for a long time. I didn't know then how long exactly, and I still don't know now. But you are always planning what we want the future to look like and the direction we want to go, and that has been the case from day one.

Obviously, everything happened very quickly back then, the transition was very swift, and honestly, as I just said, there were many unknowns around that game. So, the performance the lads showed in that context was incredible. But for me, from the very beginning, there has always been, and always will be, a clear plan: to try and get this club back to the level we ultimately want it to be at.

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