Saturday 12 March 2016 16:50, UK
Michael Carrick is determined that Manchester United end his and their FA Cup drought this season, possibly in his last season with the club.
Louis van Gaal's under-fire side start a make-or-break week by welcoming West Ham to Old Trafford for a quarter-final tie on Sunday.
The home leg of the Europa League last-16 clash with Liverpool follows, then a crunch Premier League game against Manchester City, but halting a run of back-to-back defeats is the main priority.
United have not won the FA Cup since 2004 and it is the only major domestic trophy to elude Carrick, something the veteran midfielder would love to remedy this season.
"We are hugely determined and it is a great opportunity for us," Carrick said.
"Obviously West Ham have been great this season and have gone further in this competition than they have for some time.
"In the league, their form has been amazing, especially from what they might have expected at the start of the season.
"It is going to be a tough game for us. It was a tough one earlier on in the season at home (when we drew 0-0) and we expect something similar on Sunday."
Carrick started his career at West Ham, scoring six goals in 159 appearances before swapping Upton Park for Tottenham in 2004.
The 34-year-old moved onto United two years after that and ended his first campaign by appearing in his first - and so far only - FA Cup final.
Carrick accepts United were "not quite good enough" as Chelsea secured a 1-0 extra-time win that day - a missed opportunity that does not rankle, even if the wait to make another final does.
"It has been too long since we won the FA Cup," added Carrick, whose contract expires in the summer.
"Before our last success (in 2004), we had won a number of FA Cups and it seems such a long time that we haven't been able to get our hands on it.
"I have said before, we need to put that right and this club needs to be winning things."
At the other end of the experience scale, at least in terms of his time with United, there is also plenty of excitement building for Matteo Darmian.
The 26-year-old arrived from Torino last summer and is dreaming of reaching the Wembley finale to end a first season in England that has been plagued by injury.
"It would be fantastic," Darmian added. "I think for us it's a great chance to win an important trophy. That is our focus.
"Every game is difficult, but we are Manchester United and we have to win as many games as possible. That is what we are trying to do and hopefully we can get the victory on Sunday."
