Were Man Utd players unfit?

The general consensus was that Manchester United lacked intensity against Hull City; even Carrick's close friend Wayne Rooney said so on Match of the Day.

"For Manchester United to build on what they did last season they need to become a team other teams are scared of," he said.

"There needs to be more energy in the press. They were too passive."

It was not a view Carrick agreed with.

"Just because you get beaten, it doesn't mean you are passive," he said.

"It's one game. Results can happen in football. We all understand that. It's not nice when they do, but it does happen."

Former England striker and Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer felt it was a fitness issue, even though six of the side that started were there right at the start of pre-season training on 9 July.

"United were dreadful in all positions, particularly up front. They offered nothing," he said.

"There was only one team going to win. It's a worrying thing. You know what you are going to get going up against a promoted team. You need to match them."

Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic altered his tactics for the game, having watched a couple of United's pre-season matches, including the 4-2 defeat by AC Milan, engineered by former boss Ruben Amorim, when he repeatedly switched play to his wing-backs, which United's defence failed to cover.

That was key, as it created the space to put balls into the box for combative striker Oli McBurnie to feed off.

McBurnie did not score, but 19-year-old United defender Ayden Heaven in particular found it difficult to cope.

Semi Ajayi opened the scoring by driving home the rebound after Senne Lammens had pushed a powerful close-range McBurnie effort on to a post.

New signing Nobel Mendy added the second when he got his head to Regan Slater's free-kick despite the close attentions of Luke Shaw and Noussair Mazraoui.