Michael Carrick praises Manchester United's 'unique' character after claiming Premier League title

Midfielder has been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year

Dejected Manchester United players upon hearing the news of Manchester City's last-gasp title-clinching heroics at the end of last season (Getty Images)

Michael Carrick has revealed that the motivation for Manchester United's players to win the club's 20th league title came in the dressing room at Sunderland after their final match of last season.

Then United had the title snatched from their grasp by Manchester City in the dramatic 3-2 win over Queen's Park Rangers. Sir Alex Ferguson went down the club's bus on the way home and told his players never to forget the pain, but the message had already been relayed to those who had seen the Premier League crown slip from their hands.

"It hurt and it wasn't pleasant but pretty much we started thinking about next year straightaway," said Carrick. "It was said in the dressing room 'remember this feeling'.

"Even coming to the end of this season, we had a decent gap, but we didn't want to let it slip because we know what it felt like. There are not many teams who could have come back from that.

"I said before I came here that if I won a League, that would have meant everything to me. Strange as it is, as soon as I won that first League it left me hungry for more. Whether that is from being here, or just the feeling that came with the opportunity for getting more here, I don't know. But the satisfaction of winning is such a good feeling you want it again and again, and you get hungrier to win it again. The manager drives that."

Carrick, who has now won five Premier League titles, added: "I don't think you can ever feel in control. So many things can happen. Even with a 15-point gap it could peter away quite quickly. You just plug away."