19 years ago on August 23, Manchester United's meritorious man Carrick made his debut on behalf of the team. In an interview with the Red Devils official media, Carrick talked about his experience and feelings of playing on behalf of the club.
Manchester United played against Charlton away that day. In the 77th minute, Carrick replaced Park Ji-sung on the court, and the score was still 1-0 at the time. Then Saha and Solskjaer scored goals respectively, and Manchester United finally won a big victory. Carrick said: "I feel like I'm getting older! But I remember very clearly. I still remember that I didn't play against Fulham at the beginning of the season. The teammates performed very well in that game, and I just sat in the stands.
"To some extent, it felt good, but I really wanted to go on the court to experience what it feels like as a home team player. The week after that game, I finally made it to the Wednesday night game and we won the game. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored a goal long after his injury, which was an important part of the game. My teammates are very happy for him, and for me, it feels very special to be able to play and experience being a Manchester United player.
"I can't wait to play for such a good team, and I want to be one of them. I came here from Tottenham, which is also a great team, and I have no intention of offending them. But Manchester United's level and those teammates, I'm very excited, and I'm in a lucky position to compete with them. I'm really excited, a little nervous, and a little unknown. I just want to start as soon as possible and adapt as soon as possible."
Carrick's first start came a few days later, with the Red Devils narrowly defeating Watford 2-1 away. He recalled: "I remember after the game I felt that we had a good result, the team won, and could keep moving forward. But the head coach was very frustrated and disappointed, and even a little angry, not for me personally, but for the entire team, and he said we had to do better.
"It immediately made me realize that the Red Devils were different, and their standards and expectations were different. Winning is not the only thing, it also includes how you win, and how you perform and your level. It's also the beauty of this club, and despite my adaptation and some success, I'll never feel comfortable. Whether you win a league title or a Champions League, you have to ask yourself: ‘What’s next? ’
"We never felt we could stop and think 'just like this'. We always pursue the next goal. You never know how long this state will last, so we must keep working hard. This is our culture at that time, which also brought success."
Carrick won the Premier League championship with the team in his first season. In his subsequent 12 years of career, he won the Premier League championship four times, including the Champions League, the FA Cup, the 4 League Cup and other honors.