Michael Carrick says the Carling Cup is as important as ever to Manchester United.

Having won the tournament for the past two seasons, United are eager to extend that record and register a fifth win in the competition, which would equal Aston Villa and leave them just two adrift of Liverpool.

Although it is small beer in comparison to the major targets of regaining the Premier League title and reaching a Champions League final that will be held at Wembley next May, for Michael Carrick, it is another example of the indelible marks United want to make.

"We set standards here," he said.

"They have been set by different teams over the years and it carries on through each season.

"We want to try and reach those standards as often as possible.

"Sometimes you can't do it, but when it does comes together, like it did against Blackburn on Saturday, you get the feeling you should be doing it more often.

"That is what we strive for week after week, to try and get the right performance as well as the result."