Michael Carrick hits back at claims Man Utd have given up as Red Devils boss 'almost offended' after Sunderland draw

United manager Carrick has reacted strongly to suggestions that his side have "gone to the beach" following their successful quest for a top-four finish. After a high-stakes victory over Liverpool last weekend guaranteed Champions League football for next season, United looked significantly off the pace during a flat encounter at the Stadium of Light.

The Red Devils were largely outplayed by Sunderland for long periods of the afternoon and were forced to rely on goalkeeper Senne Lammens to salvage a point. However, Carrick refused to accept that a lack of application was to blame for the performance, suggesting that the team's ability to grind out a draw under pressure proved their mental resilience.

Speaking after the stalemate, Carrick made it clear that he found the questioning of his players' professionalism difficult to stomach. The United boss pointed to the squad's preparation and their willingness to dig in defensively as evidence that the group remains motivated despite having already achieved their primary objective for the campaign.

Addressing the media, Carrick said: "I almost get offended by that, when people are accusing that because the way the players have prepared the game, the way they left the changing room, we faced a tough game, it's fine.

"I think if we weren't in a good headspace and motivated, I think we lose the game today. Sunderland played really well at certain points of the game and made us work for it."

Carrick was adamant that the history and stature of the club prevent any player from taking their foot off the gas, regardless of the league table. He insisted that the responsibility of representing United serves as a natural motivator that will ensure the team remains competitive in their final fixtures of the season.

"The fact that our pride in ourselves and each other and the responsibility playing for this great club and being part of it, certainly motivation and focus is not the reason whether we're going to be brilliant or maybe we're going to have a performance where it comes a little bit more challenging, whether it's today or the next two games, that won't be the case whether that's affected at all," the manager added.

While the attacking output was limited - with United only forcing a save from Robin Roefs in the 93rd minute through Matheus Cunha - Carrick chose to focus on the grit shown by his heavily rotated side. He viewed the clean sheet and the point gained as a valuable building block for the squad's evolving character.

"It was a tough game," Carrick admitted. "Credit to Sunderland, we knew it was going to be a tough game coming here anyway. We had to dig deep at times, it wasn't our best but actually to take something from the game when you're not at your best is a good trait that we're trying to build as well. There's obviously changes and sometimes you're trying to find that rhythm a little bit which is understandable but I still quite like a lot of the things we did to give us the foundation to then be able to play better at certain times but to take the point in a clean sheet for what it is, I think is okay."