Man Utd are up to third in the Premier League and Michael Carrick was even asked if they can win the title before their trip to Newcastle.
Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick has lifted United to third in the Premier League
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Nothing sums up the change in mood around Old Trafford than the fact that Michael Carrick was asked whether Manchester United could still win the Premier League this week, and not only did he answer the question seriously, but he didn't rule it out either.
Carrick is wise enough to know that it borders on the impossible for United to catch Arsenal and Manchester City over the final months of the season, but he has also seen enough in his time at the club to insist he is always a glass-half-full kind of guy.
United have beaten the Premier League's top two since Carrick took over in January. In seven games, he has won 19 points, five more than Arsenal and three more than City. But the gap remains a big one ahead of the trip to Newcastle on Wednesday.
Arsenal are 13 points ahead of United, although Carrick's men do have a game in hand, while City are eight points ahead. With just 10 games left, the equation is complex, and the 44-year-old is well aware the odds would be stacked against his side.
"Listen, you can't rule anything out in football, but we've got to be realistic and know where it's at," he said. "I think we've just got to try and keep winning games and see.
"Above us now there are two fantastic teams. There are some really good teams in and around us. We've had a good run, we're certainly not getting carried away.
"You've got to be patient but you've got to be living in the moment a little bit, certainly, take the confidence. Wherever that's going to take us, we'll just have to see. But we'll keep pushing anyway."
United's primary aim this season was to return to Europe and their excellent run of form under Carrick has them in pole position to qualify for the Champions League. They leapfrogged Aston Villa at the weekend to mark themselves out as the closest challengers to the top two.
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Carrick made 464 appearances for United as a player, the majority under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning five league titles in the process, and he has a similar mindset when it comes to a refusal to give up on anything at OId Trafford.
"Definitely a glass half full on what you can achieve more than the negative side, that's for sure," he said of his own personality. "I think that was what half-time was [on Sunday]. Them moments, how's it going to go both ways, you've got to take the positive one really.
"Of course, I'm being realistic about it. We have to win a lot of football matches for that to happen. so we'll do what we've been doing and go one at a time. We've got one more now and then we've got a little bit of a break before Villa so we'll go and give it everything on Wednesday night."
United face a Newcastle team who have won just one of their last seven Premier League games, but as a son of Tyneside, Carrick knows it will still be a difficult game at St James' Park.
"It's a challenging place to play. When they're in full flow and the supporters are there, I think it's a tough place so we've got to be ready for that," he said.
"It's a different kind of challenge again. I know they've had mixed results of late but they're a good team. Eddie's a fantastic manager and they are a really dangerous team, so I think that (their) run, certainly what our run's been like previously, that's not one that I look at too much.
"Certainly, the fact that whatever form they're in, going into the game, I know this game's a tough one, so we'll have to be ready for that."
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