Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has pushed back firmly against suggestions that his side enjoy a soft opening to the new Premier League season, calling such talk "ridiculous."

United begin their campaign away at Hull — who secured promotion to the top flight via the Championship play-offs — before hosting Ipswich, another newly promoted club, in their first home fixture at Old Trafford on 30 August.

The back-to-back fixtures against promoted sides have led some to argue that United should build immediate momentum, particularly after finishing third last season — a result that convinced the club to hand Carrick a permanent managerial contract.

Carrick's warning

The United manager, however, is taking no such comforting view of the schedule. He cautioned that travelling to a newly promoted club carries its own distinct challenges.

"A newly promoted team away from home is a tough game," Carrick said. "I've been involved in them in the past so I'm fully aware of what's coming at us on Saturday and what we've got to be ready for."

Carrick was blunt in dismissing the idea that United have been handed an easy ride. "It's not favourable," he said. "It's an easy thing to throw out there but it's pretty ridiculous. I'm not taking it that way at all."

Hull's route through the Championship play-offs will have generated confidence and cohesion within their squad — qualities Carrick clearly respects ahead of what he expects to be a stern test on Saturday.