Jamie Carragher doesn’t believe Manchester United are ready to challenge for the Champions League trophy, insisting Michael Carrick’s current squad still lacks the quality needed to compete with Europe’s best.
Manchester United are back in the competition for the first time since the 2023-24 campaign, but Jamie Carragher thinks expectations need to be kept realistic.
“Probably not just yet,” Carragher told CBS Sports. “Now, I’m not trying to be patronising in any way. Manchester United, as I’ve just said, are one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
The former Liverpool defender believes United’s reputation should not cloud the reality of where the squad currently stands.
“But to go into it now with the squad that they’ve got and expect them to sort of do big things and take on other clubs with their type of name, they just haven’t got the quality right now, I think, to go deep into the competition.”
Jamie Carragher sets realistic Man Utd target
United’s recent record in the Champions League also plays a part in Carragher’s take. Their last appearance ended in disappointment as they failed to make it beyond the group stage.
“Manchester United have been out of the competition for a couple of years,” he said, while also pointing out that regular Champions League football has been far from normal for the club in recent years.
Jamie Carragher suggested the knockout rounds should then become the next step, with a quarter-final appearance representing a positive campaign.
“I think once you get back in it for the first time for a while, I think the first target will be to make sure they get through the league phase, and then when you get to the knockout stage, can you get a nice run? Can you almost get to maybe a quarterfinal?”
