Carrick is thrown into the deep end this weekend as he comes up against a City side who boast a 13-game unbeaten run across all competitions under manager Pep Guardiola.
United are seventh in the Premier League table, only three points behind the top four, despite winning just one of their last six matches. With a win Carrick’s side could jump into the Champions League spots above Brentford, Newcastle United and Liverpool.
What are Carrick's targets?
Carrick first spoke on taking over from Ruben Amorim and his season targets for what remains of the campaign after United were knocked out of both the EFL Cup and FA Cup.
"Two different roles sat in this chair in front of you, different from coaching. It's fantastic to be here and it's great for me to be in this position. As well as that, I'm eager to succeed; it's a big and important job. One side is nice to be there, the other side is focus and concentration to improve the team and results.
"Not in terms of it has to be this or that way. Like I said, we want to be near the top. But we have to take some small steps toward that and European football would a step toward that."
What does Carrick define as success?
Carrick returns to the touchline just seven months after his dismissal from Championship side Middlesbrough, where he won 46.3% of his 136 games in charge. He was next asked what he defines as success with the Red Devils who are very likely to go trophyless this season.
"I think improvement. Helping individuals is a big part of what I enjoy. I think if you improve the individuals, then you create a better team. And results. There is an element of performance, an element of improvement and doing what it takes to win in certain ways.
"We want to keep pushing and finish as high as we can."
United have also failed to score in four of their last five Premier League home encounters with City and played out a 0-0 draw the last time the two sides met. City have won more Premier League away matches against Man United than any other visiting team as Carrick prepares for what will be one of the toughest tests of his career.