Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has called on the club to increase its spending in order to keep pace with Premier League title rivals, emphasizing the need for more quality and depth in the squad.

The club has spent approximately £85 million ($114 million) on Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, and Karl Darlow since the end of last season. However, this outlay pales in comparison to the huge fees paid by Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea for high-profile signings.

Carrick, who led United to a third-place finish last season after replacing the sacked Ruben Amorim, knows the team must strengthen to challenge for their first English title since 2013 and compete in the Champions League. Notably, United has never spent more than £89.5 million ($120.7 million) on a single player – the fee paid for Paul Pogba in 2016.

"I think we've done really good business and we've got some really top, top, top players," Carrick told reporters on Thursday. "We're delighted with that. We always want to improve. We want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that. That never stops."

With United spending less than newly promoted sides Coventry and Ipswich, some fans are growing restless ahead of the Premier League opener at Hull on August 22. Carrick acknowledged the financial constraints but stressed the importance of pushing boundaries.

"Money's money, I get that. It's still about the football, and that's where the competition lies," he said. "Certainly, the situation is what it is as well, whether that's finances or whatever. For now, we've got to make the most of it, but we've got to keep pushing and push everything and every boundary that we can to be able to win again."

Marcus Rashford has returned to the club after a season-long loan at Barcelona, with the Catalan club declining their option to buy the 28-year-old England forward. Carrick described Rashford as "our player" and highlighted his potential to contribute.

Carrick refused to rule out a title challenge, stating, "We've definitely got the potential to achieve something really special. I'm not hiding from the fact, and we should aim to do that, but I can't give you a definite answer on that. It's certainly what we're pushing to do because we have to, because that's the club we are."

Source: www.aljazeera.com