Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said his side’s third-place finish in the Premier League was «something to build on» after ending the season with a 3-0 win against Brighton on Sunday.
The former United midfielder was confirmed as the English giants’ new permanent head coach on a two-year deal on Friday, after overseeing a dramatic improvement in form at Old Trafford since taking charge following Ruben Amorim’s acrimonious departure in January.
Carrick secured Champions League football with three games remaining and United finished in third place with their 3-2 Premier League win against Nottingham Forest last Sunday.
United made 12 wins in 17 games under Carrick at Brighton, Patrick Dorgu opening the scoring in the 33rd minute before Bryan Mbeumo and captain Bruno Fernandes extended the lead either side of half-time.
«We finished strong,» Carrick told the BBC BBC.
«We had a good run and third place was kind of cemented, so I like the way we finished with that and continued it. We had a real focus that this wasn’t the end of the season, it was the next leg, and today (Sunday) epitomized that with how well the boys approached the race… It gives us a platform to build on for next season.»
Fernandes set a new Premier League record of 21 assists in a single season by providing the corner from which Dorgu headed in to give United a 1-0 lead against Brighton.
The Portugal international made it 3-0 in the 48th minute when a low shot netted him his ninth goal of the campaign.
The assist record came just a day after Fernandes was named Premier League player of the season, having already won the associated football writers’ award.
“It’s what he’s done so many times,” said Carrick of Fernandes. «Creating and scoring goals is what he has a knack for. He has a natural instinct for creation and he did that again today.»
Published on May 25, 2026
