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Manchester United desperate for FA Cup - Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick (right) says Manchester United are desperate to win the FA Cup  
Michael Carrick (right) says Manchester United are desperate to win the FA Cup   Michael Carrick (right) says Manchester United are desperate to win the FA Cup  

MICHAEL CARRICK admits Manchester United are desperate for FA Cup glory this season and reckons teenage striker Marcus Rashford will be around to stay.

United reached their first semi-final in five years after seeing off West Ham in a sixth-round replay at Upton Park on Wednesday night. The 2-1 victory was one of their strongest showings of the campaign as goals from Rashford and the impressive Marouane Fellaini were enough to book a Wembley semi-final date with Everton on April 23.

Carrick has yet to win the FA Cup during his career, with the Red Devils lifting the last of their 11 cups back in 2004. He conceded it has been a frustrating campaign for Louis van Gaal's side - who crashed out of the Champions League group stages and also lost to Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup and rivals Liverpool in the Europa League.

Defeat at Tottenham last weekend leaves their hopes of a top-four finish in the balance and England international Carrick is therefore targeting an overdue success in the FA Cup: "I'm desperate to go further in this competition," he said.

"We haven't done well enough in this competition over recent years and we're well aware of that. We're desperate to go all the way this time. It's been a season of setbacks and then good results, it's so frustrating but we keep trying to get that consistency. We have a couple of good games and then a bad one sets us back. This is an opportunity for us now, it's a one-off game. We'll go down there and look forward to it but getting to Wembley is not the end. It's a semi-final so we haven't achieved anything yet."

Carrick was very much the elder statesmen of a vibrant United side who ruined West Ham's goodbye to cup football at Upton Park. The likes of Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial all shone - but it was 18-year-old Rashford who again grabbed the headlines.

The England U20 international has seized his first-team opportunity with both hands and scored a tremendous solo goal to put United in front. That was his sixth goal in 11 consecutive starts as he filled in for injured captain Wayne Rooney, who replaced Rashford in the closing stages on Wednesday.

And Carrick, 34, insists Rashford's star will not burn brightly before dwindling away - backing the academy product to build on a promising start to his career which has seen him score the winner in a Manchester derby and a brace against Arsenal.

"It's incredible," Carrick said of Rashford's emergence.

"It's so good to see young lads come in, do well and take their chance. Not in his wildest dreams could he have predicted the last two or three months that he's had. He's still got his feet on his ground though. He keeps coming in, he doesn't change, he works hard, he listens, he's willing to learn and I think he's got a great chance of staying at the top for a long time. I don't think it's a flash in the pan, in and out. I think he's here to stay and goals like that, we'll welcome more of them."

Meanwhile, West Ham will feel they missed out on a great chance to say goodbye to their Upton Park home with trophy success as Slaven Bilic's side did not play to their recent standard in losing to United.

James Tomkins' late header proved to be nothing more than consolation, although visiting goalkeeper David De Gea did make three superb second-half saves to keep United ahead. And his counterpart Darren Randolph, again preferred to Adrian in the FA Cup, believes West Ham missed their opportunity to advance in the original tie - a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last month.

"We tried, but it wasn't enough," he said.

"We could have grabbed another late equaliser, and a winner, but the keeper has made some great saves. It wasn't to be. We had chances at Old Trafford, and played well up there. We didn't think they'd play at the same standard as they did then, because they are a good team no matter where they are in the league. They performed tonight when they needed to."