Carrick says how new Man Utd signings fit into his planning 'collectively' this season

Michael Carrick says how the Manchester United signings have fitted into his planning for the team this season.

He believes United have emerged from the summer transfer window with a stronger squad despite missing out on defensive reinforcements.

United focused much of their business on rebuilding the midfield, bringing in Andrey Santos from Chelsea, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Carlos Baleba from Brighton.

Goalkeeper Karl Darlow also arrived on a free transfer from Leeds United, but the club opted against signing a new left-back despite exploring a number of options before the deadline.

United's net spend across the window finished at around £118million, with the figure lower than that of several Premier League rivals.

There were calls for further investment in defence, with Gary Neville among those who argued that United needed additional reinforcements at the back.

However, Carrick is convinced the club's summer business has improved his options and he emphasised how the team as a group is stronger - and not just individually.

"I think we've brought some really good players into the football club, and improved the squad in different ways, individually but collectively," Carrick said during a charity golf day for his foundation.

"I think we've grown. You go into the window and when you come out of it, you want to be stronger than you were at the start. I'm convinced we are that.

"Transfer windows are never straightforward and this window in particular has been challenging for different reasons. There's a lot of money being spent in and around the league itself, and I think we've made the most of the situation that we've found ourselves in.

"That's the world we live in. Teams at certain points are going to spend a lot of money. Sometimes it's going to be more than what we spend, sometimes maybe not.

"We've got to make the most of what we can and understand where we're at. I think we're a very good team and we want to keep getting better."

Carrick's side endured a difficult start to the new Premier League campaign after suffering a 2-0 defeat against newly-promoted Hull City.

However, United responded emphatically at Old Trafford, coming from behind to beat Ipswich Town 5-2 in their first home game of the season.

Carrick believes the manner of that response offered an encouraging insight into the mentality within his squad.

"Since I came back really and we got the group together, we've lost a couple of games, we've had some setbacks, but the way the boys have dealt with it gives us a lot of courage moving forward," Carrick said.

"At some point you're going to have things that go against you, whether that's a game or a moment in games, and I've talked about it this week.

"I think the response that we showed and the confidence the boys had, that's when you find out quite a bit about what you are as a group.

"I thought we did a lot of good things in the first half. We had a few minutes when it didn't go well for us, but we took that into the second half and played some really good football.

"A lot of people talk about the goals and the results in the end, but I think the mentality is what pleased us the most. It gives us a lot of encouragement moving forward."

United will now look to build on their victory over Ipswich as Carrick attempts to turn the club's summer rebuild into a more consistent start to the season.