Manchester United manager Michael Carrick stated on Friday that he expected to face challenges this season, brushing off questions about his future with the club following a difficult start to their campaign. Carrick was appointed permanently after a successful interim spell that secured third place in the Premier League and Champions League qualification.

However, the team has struggled, accumulating only four points from their opening four league matches. Their recent League Cup exit, a 3-2 defeat to Brighton after squandering a two-goal lead at Old Trafford, has intensified scrutiny.

"In terms of the future and ownership and how long I’ve got, it’s totally nothing. Thinking about it is ridiculous in the position I’m in. It’s just not on the radar," Carrick said ahead of Sunday's match against Fulham. He emphasized the immediate need to perform and plan for upcoming games.

Carrick acknowledged that periods of difficulty are common for successful teams. "History tells you that any team that’s successful goes through periods when you have to work through it, come through it and improve," he noted. He described the current situation as a "small period, in recent time, when it hasn’t been exactly what we want it to be."

The manager also pointed to unfortunate circumstances contributing to recent results. Manchester United received an apology from referees' officials after a winning goal for Manchester City was incorrectly allowed due to a VAR oversight on an offside call. Additionally, a late equalizer from Everton's Ainsley Maitland-Niles denied United a victory the previous Sunday.

"It is a week or two, the games haven’t gone our way," Carrick added. "It’s tiny margins in some of those games. We will work through it. Winning games is always the answer, it can cover up a lot of things at times as well."

Manchester United could see the return of Luke Shaw from injury for the upcoming game at Craven Cottage. New signing Carlos Baleba is also available for his potential debut after a significant transfer from Brighton.

The club's current form places Carrick under pressure, with the team needing to secure positive results to climb the league table and regain confidence after a disappointing start to the season.