Carrick says United's hunger can carry into next season

Michael Carrick came away from Manchester United's 3-0 win at Brighton talking less about the scoreline than the hunger, mentality and togetherness he saw. United won 12 and lost 2 of Carrick's 17 games in charge since January, and he signed a two-year contract on Friday. That finish matters because the late-season run was not just steady, it was the best in the Premier League over the final 17 games, with United taking 39 points from that spell.

Why Carrick thinks the run matters

Carrick was plain about what he wanted to see. "We're delighted. Absolutely delighted in so many ways with today and particularly over the last two or three weeks when the position's kind of cemented," he said.

He went further on the qualities behind it. "the hunger was there, you could see it... It needed a really strong mentality, which I was absolutely delighted with because that's the foundation we need to show and have to give us the confidence to move forward," he said.

That is a fair read of the evidence. Manchester United finished third on 68 points, and the late run under Carrick was built on repeated results rather than one flashy afternoon. The last 10 league games read WWDWWLWDWW, which is about as tidy a summary as the scoreline at the Amex.

What the Brighton win showed

The result itself was clean. Patrick Dorgu, Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes scored in the 3-0 win at the Amex Stadium on the final day of the Premier League season. Brighton needed a win to cement Europe and could still have made the Champions League, but United handled the game well enough to spoil that finish.

Carrick also pointed to the way the squad has pulled together. "How strong they are knitted, I think that's really important for us to appreciate and that's what gives me the encouragement and excitement moving forward that we've got a real strong foundation now to try and build on," he said.

That is the part that should interest United supporters most. The points haul is real, the third-place finish is real, and so is the fact that Carrick is framing this as a base rather than a conclusion. If this group really is going to carry something into next season, the final 17 games are the clearest evidence we have.