Crocked Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick says their solid defence has allowed them to shake-off their sluggish early season form.

"At this level it's a great achievement to go that many games without conceding and it's giving us the base to go on and win games," he told Manchester United Radio. "I think our defensive record last season was brilliant too. It's not something we've suddenly changed or worked on.

"We have fantastic players here and everyone's willing to work for the team. For the last year or so, that part of the game has been very strong."

The 26-year-old midfielder is currently recovering from a fractured elbow and is likely to be out of action for another month or so.

He admits to feeling frustrated by his stint on the sidelines, but is confident he'll return to a winning team and, after last weekend's goal blitz against Wigan, a free-scoring one.

"We had an indifferent start but recently we've put a great run together and everyone's really digging in and working for each other," he says. "It's great to play in a team like that and I'm sure the boys will keep it going and score even more goals."