This season has, so far, been a peculiar one for Manchester United fans. The arrival of former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho over the summer, as well as a string of big name players signing or the club, sparked a huge swell of optimism at Old Trafford.

In the early weeks of the campaign United looked to be back at their fearsome best of the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, with three impressive wins from their opening three Premier League games.

However, from their the wheels seemed to come off a little with a string of losses, including to rivals Manchester City and a humbling defeat at Watford, leading to early questions of the position of the recently appointed Mourinho.

After a run of poor form in which the Portuguese struggled to settle on a midfield, they are back on track, having not lost since the defeat at Stamford Bridge in October.

Though, thanks to a number of their undefeated league games being draws, the Red Devils still remain sixth in the Premier League, they are just a point off Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, in fifth, and two shy of Arsenal, who are throwing their mandatory mid-season wobbly, in fourth.

A Premier League title was almost accepted as a given by many corners of the Manchester United support when it was confirmed that Jose Mourinho would be taking the reins in the wake of Louis van Gaal’s departure.

However, whilst that is, barring a miraculous fall from grace by Chelsea, going to be the case this season, many United fans will be happy to secure a Champions League spot.

Less than happy with that, it appears, is Old Trafford stalwart, Michael Carrick, who has been speaking of how the players should be celebrating nothing less than a title.

The former Tottenham player, who has won five Premier League titles with United, is one of the old guard left, alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney, from Sir Alex’s time at the club when the side were at the peak of their powers.

Having won titles at home and in Europe with the club, Carrick knows what it means to be a Manchester United player and what is expected of those on the pitch, regardless of age or how much they are paid.

Brining in players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba will also add to the pool of players who will understand the pressures. The Swede has played at the top level for the large majority of his career whilst Pogba was brought up through the United academy with their values instilled in him, before joining Juventus.

A Champions League spot, for a season effectively in transition, will do for this term, however, Carrick and his peers need to impact on the rest of the squad as to what is expected of them by those in the stands every week. Do that and the fans will have one hell of a side to watch next season.