LONDON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Michael Carrick's first Manchester derby as interim manager brought a victory and bought him time.
Eight months later, after leading United to a third-placed finish and being appointed on a permanent basis, expectation has soared and Sunday's clash with Manchester City is being viewed as a measure of how far his rebuilding job has progressed.
United's former midfield schemer has overseen only one win, against Ipswich Town, in the opening three Premier League matches. A humbling loss at Hull City and a draw at Everton have tempered optimism generated by last season's revival.
Thursday's 4-0 victory over Sabah in the Champions League was a welcome boost ahead of the visit of City, but Carrick knows Sunday will provide the acid test.
"There's no way we're assuming: 'We won last year, we can do the same things and everything will be the same'," Carrick, who was installed on a full-time basis in May, told reporters when asked how he is approaching Sunday, compared to the clash in January when United outplayed Pep Guardiola's side.
"I understand the expectation. Everything was quite fresh and new then, we didn't really know where it was going to go. The players, myself, the coaches, you guys, were all waiting to see how it would go, and it was a quick turnaround.
"I think the confidence we've built over a period of time, and the feeling that we're getting better all the time, I think that helps us. We know it's a big game, we know it's an important game. There's a lot riding on it."
Carrick's calm authority resulted in 12 wins from his 17 Premier League games in charge last season, with only two defeats. Confidence was high ahead of the new season that the momentum would be maintained.
INDIFFERENT START TO THE SEASON
Despite an indifferent start to the season and defensive fragility, Carrick sticks to the mantra that he is still in the early days of a long-term plan to restore the club's fortunes.
"All the decisions we were making were as if we were going to be here for a period of time. I never knew how long that was going to be, and I still don't, but you're always planning for what we want the future to look like and the direction we want to go, and that was from day one," he said.
While Carrick has been involved in many Manchester derbies, his City counterpart Enzo Maresca will lead his team into it for the first time on Sunday as he seeks to continue his 100% start to the post-Guardiola era.
"I have been involved in different ones. The worst one is Olympiacos v Panathinaikos. That is very hot," the Italian said.
"Again, I was in Italy with Juventus, so you went to Torino, in Seville, Betis, as a manager, with Chelsea, different ones.
"I think they are all special games for everyone, for the fans, first of all, for the club, for the players, for the coaching staff. I want these kind of games, I like these kind of games. The most important thing is the players are focussed."
Maresca is boosted by the availability of Nico O'Reilly after he missed City's win against Coventry City and the midweek win over Porto. United will welcome back forward Marcus Rashford who was kept as an unused substitute in the win over Sabah as a precaution.
"It was nice to keep Marcus fresh and ready for the weekend," he said of his absence on Thursday.
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
