Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 4: Manchester United manager Michael Carrick believes his side have emerged as a stronger squad from the summer transfer window, with the additions of Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba bringing greater experience to the team.

Carrick said that although United spent less during the transfer window, the club strengthened in different areas and must continue to improve as the season progresses.

“I think we’ve brought some really good players into the football club and improved the squad in different ways, individually but collectively. I think we’ve grown. You go into the window, and when you come out of it, you want to be stronger than you were at the start. I’m convinced we are that,” Carrick told Sky Sports during a charity golf day for his foundation.

The newly appointed manager acknowledged that United faced challenges during the transfer window but said the club made the most of the situation while remaining focused on building a competitive squad.

“Transfer windows are never straightforward, and this window in particular has been challenging for different reasons. There’s a lot of money being spent in and around the league itself, and I think we’ve made the most of the situation that we’ve found ourselves in,” he said.

“That’s the world we live in. Teams at certain points are going to spend a lot of money. Sometimes it’s going to be more than what we spend; sometimes maybe not. We’ve got to make the most of what we can and understand where we’re at. I think we’re a very good team; we want to keep getting better,” he added.

Manchester United endured a poor start to the season, losing their opening game against newly promoted Hull City. However, they bounced back in their next match with a dominant 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town.

Carrick praised the character shown by his players following their setbacks, saying their response had increased his confidence in what the squad could achieve.

“Since I came back really and we got the group together, we’ve lost a couple of games, we’ve had some setbacks, but the way the boys have dealt with it gives us a lot of courage moving forward,” he said.

Reflecting on United’s performance against Ipswich, Carrick said the mentality displayed by the players was more important than the final scoreline.

“At some point you’re going to have things that go against you. Whether that’s a game or a moment in games, and I’ve talked about it this week. I think the response that we showed and the confidence the boys had, that’s when you find out quite a bit about what you are as a group,” he said.

“I thought we did a lot of good things in the first half. We had a few minutes when it didn’t go well for us; we took that into the second half and played some really good football. A lot of people talk about the goals and the results in the end, but I think the mentality is what pleased us the most. It gives us a lot of encouragement moving forward,” he added.

Despite the victory, Manchester United are currently 10th in the Premier League standings with three points from two matches.

United will next face Everton on Sunday.