Man United v Aston Villa: Michael Carrick looks to build on Roma win insisting 'consistency is key'

Detailed summary

Forty years to the day since legendary manager Alex Ferguson joined Manchester United at the age of 44, Michael Carrick, who also took charge aged 44 at the start of this year,…

Forty years to the day since legendary manager Alex Ferguson joined Manchester United at the age of 44, Michael Carrick, who also took charge aged 44 at the start of this year, faced the media ahead of Sunday’s home Premier League game against Aston Villa.

Ferguson took over a team 19th in the table after a start to the season which saw only one win in the opening nine games – the same as this season. Ferguson’s predecessor Ron Atkinson was sacked on November 6 with his side having played 13 league games winning only three. Like this season, they’d also been knocked out of the League Cup.

There are many unfortunate parallels for a United currently enjoying their worst start since that 1986-87 horror show. Then, United chose to sack Atkinson after five years at the helm, now Carrick’s job is under pressure.

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