Carrick: My Summer Nightmare …
Sun: MICHAEL CARRICK admits Manchester United’s failure to land the Treble last season haunted him all summer — even on his honeymoon.
The midfielder fulfilled a lifetime’s ambition by clinching the title in his first year at Old Trafford.
But such is his thirst for silverware, Carrick spent more time regretting the ones that got away than he did celebrating his first major honour.
Carrick, 26, knows Alex Ferguson’s men came tantalisingly close to repeating their 1999 Treble heroics last term.
And, as United launch the defence of their Barclays Premier League crown at home to Reading on Sunday, the England star admits he struggled to shake off the disappointment of losing a Champions League semi-final to AC Milan and the FA Cup final to Chelsea.
The Geordie admits images of United’s Wembley defeat in May even crept into his mind during his honeymoon with wife Lisa.
And they surfaced again as United paraded the Community Shield after beating Chelsea last weekend.
He said: “I appreciate what we achieved. Winning the league was unbelievable and something I’ve always strived for.
“But I kept thinking about being so close to the Champions League, in my first year playing in the competition.
“And the FA Cup, too. It was just one of those things that went against us but because the final was the last thing, I went into the summer a bit downbeat.
“It took me a couple of weeks to get over it.
“It wasn’t until later I realised we’d won the league and come very close in two others, so it had not been such a bad season.
“I’d pretty much got over the Cup final but even on honeymoon it crept into my mind.
“Even last week at Wembley, lifting the Community Shield, I couldn’t help but think ‘What if this was us in May lifting the Cup?’
“Until I win it, that will always be in my mind. So hopefully we will win it this year and I can put it to bed.”
Carrick admits the presence of Treble- winners boss Ferguson, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville at United is a constant reminder that it can be done.
But he added: “Because 1999 is spoken about as such an incredible achievement, you know it doesn’t happen very often.
“The longer the season goes on, it creeps into the back of your mind you are close to doing something special.”
