Jason Wilcox hails Man United's 'winning culture' as Michael Carrick targets set

Manchester United's director of football Jason Wilcox has addressed supporters ahead of the first pre-season game against Wrexham

Manchester United's director of football Jason Wilcox has hailed the 'winning culture' building at Old Trafford as he praised Michael Carrick's performance so far. United take on Championship club Wrexham in their first pre-season game on Saturday afternoon ahead of an exciting campaign.

The Reds finished third last season, returning them to the Champions League. However, early defeats in the Carabao Cup to Grimsby Town and FA Cup against Brighton meant their campaign was noticeably shorter. At least eight additional games will be played this season courtesy of the Champions League but United will be expected to do better in the domestic cups too.

In his column on the United website, Wilcox singled out Carrick for praise before laying out the objectives for the new season. "Last season, I wrote about the sense of responsibility to help get this great club back to the top," Wilcox explained. "A year on, we can be proud of the progress we have made towards our ultimate goals.

"We have taken great strides forward and can be confident that we have the right structures and processes in place to achieve regular and sustained success in the future. Michael has done an excellent job and thoroughly earned the opportunity to continue as head coach of our men’s team.

"The results speak for themselves, with United picking up the highest points tally in the Premier League since he returned to the club. Everyone is delighted with Michael’s leadership and total alignment with our club’s values.

"The hard work continues behind the scenes to prepare his first-team squad for next season. We can all be proud of the winning culture that is developing at Carrington as we continue to build a talented and determined group of players ready to compete across all four competitions."

Wilcox also paid tribute to the United Women's team who provided 'one of the highlights of the whole campaign' by reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season. He also gave credit to the academy after they reached the FA Youth Cup final, while four youngsters achieved their first-team debuts.

"On behalf of everyone at the club I am grateful for the opportunity to directly thank you for your unwavering support, the importance of which certainly does not go unnoticed or underappreciated," he concluded. "We remain hugely ambitious, and our burning desire for every Manchester United team to compete for the biggest honours continues to drive us forward."

United's men's team began their pre-season preparations at the start of July. A thin group of senior players, topped up with academy stars, have flown out to Helsinki to take on Wrexham this weekend.

The Reds have also bolstered their squad with three new signings. Andrey Santos from Chelsea, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and free agent Karl Darlow all arrived this week.

Santos could make his debut for United this weekend after being included in the travelling squad to take on the Welsh club.

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