In the opening match of the new Premier League season, Manchester United suffered a 0-2 away defeat to Hull City. Following the match, Manchester United manager Carrick spoke to TNT Sports.

Michael, this was certainly not the start you hoped for today. How would you assess your team's performance?

Yes, the performance was just average. Obviously, we still have many areas that need improvement. It was impossible to play perfectly today, but I think conceding early and putting ourselves in a passive position made the game much more difficult. This is probably the most typical scenario when playing away against a newly promoted team. We couldn't afford to give them too many chances, and once they took the lead, they defended resolutely. After that, we did create some moments and opportunities, but we lacked that cutting edge in front of goal, failing to convert our chances or create more serious threats. So we are understandably disappointed with today's result. But this won't break us.

So, after this match, what specific areas do you think absolutely need significant improvement?

I don't want to discuss specific areas right now. I think this is something we need to understand and address internally. We will continue to improve during training this week and in upcoming matches. As the entire team grows stronger, these issues will naturally resolve themselves. We cannot ignore today's match; there are many valuable lessons to be learned, and we will certainly review and study them.

How frustrating is it to see both goals conceded from set pieces?

No matter what, conceding two goals is frustrating in itself. Yes, especially losing points from set pieces. In fact, for a long time our defensive work in this area has been quite good, but today it determined the outcome of the match. So, of course, there are areas where we need to improve, and the set-piece defense we exposed today is one of them—that's obvious. But overall, we have been performing well. Again, one game will not change our overall direction, we know that, but we still must clearly recognize where we need to improve.

So, what is your immediate priority to ensure such a result doesn't discourage the team and fans?

This is just one game. You know, it's just the first game of the season. While this result is indeed disappointing and painful, it is still just one game. So it won't suddenly change the team's or the club's overall direction. We will remain calm, disregard external distractions, and focus on next week's match.

One thing that has excited fans is the report that Manchester United has reached an agreement to sign Carlos Baleba, and he is undergoing a medical today. Can you confirm this?

All our energy today was focused on this match. Until a player from any other club truly becomes one of ours, it's not appropriate for me to comment on it. If there is any news about a player signing that needs to be announced, I'm sure you will be among the first to know.

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