Carrick claims Red Devils must be more ruthless

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick believes that his side need to find a ruthless streak to be successful in the final weeks of the season.

United dominated proceedings against Anderlecht in their Europa League clash on Thursday evening but scored just one of 16 shots on goal in Brussels, when Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted ten minutes before the break.

And the profligacy in front of goal was punished when the hosts grabbed an equaliser four minutes from time as Leander Dendoncker’s powerful header flew in.

Veteran midfielder Carrick is adamant there are positives to take ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford but acknowledges the Red Devils must learn to show no mercy when they have teams on the ropes.

Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images

“It’s bitterly disappointing,” said Carrick. “We need to be more ruthless – it’s as simple as that. I thought we played well in the first half against Anderlecht but we were too comfortable.

“We need to get ourselves in a better position to make it easier for ourselves. We’re getting in some great positions to make that final pass.

“We’re still in a good position going into the second leg, but it’s just frustrating. We need that little bit of edge to take us to the next level to be successful.

“I’m sure we’ll get there. We’ve got the players to do that. We’ll stay positive and look forward to the next game, play well and hopefully go through.”