Michael Carrick has said he does not have a timeframe on making Manchester United champions again – despite chief executive Omar Berrada’s aim of winning the Premier League within the next two seasons.

Manager Carrick stressed he is eager to take United back to the top as soon as possible but his side were already 12 points off the pace after six games.

United’s last Premier League crown came in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in 2012-13, with a team including Carrick, and they have not sustained a challenge to win the title in the subsequent 13 years or under their next seven managers.

Berrada was involved in Project 150 – United’s aim to win the league by 2028, the year of their 150th anniversary – and said again in June that he hopes to do so.

And Carrick said: “I think the goal, being at this football club, the goal is always to win. There's no timeframe on that from my perspective. It's as soon as we possibly can. And I think we understand we're still making steps to get there.

“For us to win the Premier League is a massive step, of course it is, but it's definitely something we're striving for and we've got to keep pushing for it.

“We're trying to build to get to somewhere where we haven't been for too long. I know that, and sometimes you've got to go through different ways and different pathways to get to the top.”

United have only won two of their first nine games this season in all competitions and none of their last four in the Premier League but Carrick said he is loving the struggle and challenge.

“It's the best job I could possibly have,” he added. “I feel a real privilege of being in this position and a real responsibility, but equally a drive of wanting to make a difference and having success here. So I'm loving it. I love the situation when actually you get a little bit of some sort of struggle where you've got to find a way out of it.”

United visit rivals Leeds on Sunday, with Elland Road expected to be hostile and Daniel Farke’s side only have lost six of their last 31 league games, but Carrick rejected the suggestion it was the worst possible match for his out-of-form team.

“I don't think it's the last game I need right now, for sure,” he said. “I'm really looking forward to the game. I generally feel the drive for myself to want to push this club forward more than anything. There's always negativity if you want to look for it or you want to feel it, but I don't go looking for it. I don't want to feel it.

“I understand the reality and I've said it enough in terms of feeling like I'm saying the same things, but accepting where we are, but I don't feel that. I'm totally focused on what's best for this place and this football club and what it's going to take to win games, you know, and get the boys playing what we know we're capable of, which we still don't think we're that far away.”