Jamie Carragher delivers brutal Champions League reality check to Man Utd despite dominant win over Sabah

The Red Devils marked their return to the Champions League with a routine 4-0 victory over Azerbaijani side Sabah at Old Trafford. Michael Carrick’s side controlled the match from the outset, getting their revamped league phase campaign off to the best possible start.

Despite the commanding performance, Carragher remains unconvinced by the Red Devils' credentials. The former defender believes United simply do not possess the squad depth or quality required to mount a serious challenge for Europe's biggest prize this season.

Carragher was asked whether Carrick's current crop could realistically contend for the Champions League trophy. The pundit offered a swift and direct assessment of their capabilities against the continent's elite.

"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."

"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."

United are back in the competition for the first time since 2023-24. During their last appearance, the club suffered a disappointing early exit, failing to progress beyond the group stages. Keeping that recent history in mind, Carragher stressed the importance of setting realistic milestones.

"Manchester United have been out of the competition for a couple of years, but it’s not even like a couple of years ago they were in it consistently anyway," Carragher added. "I think they’ve probably been in it once in five or six years, something like that.

"So even though they are one of the biggest names in world football, 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? Something like that."

For now, United will be pleased to have secured maximum points on their return to European action. The goals from Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko, and Lisandro Martinez will inject plenty of confidence into the squad.

Carrick and his players must quickly turn their attention back to domestic duties. The Red Devils face a massive test this Sunday as they gear up for a highly-anticipated Manchester derby.