On reflection, Michael Carrick concedes there was an air of inevitability about Manchester United's stumble and fall as they took their first steps without Sir Alex Ferguson. It had all been so nike roshe runs cheap good, for so long, that, when the nike air max 90 womens shock therapy came, the realisation that everything would be different simply took too long to sink in. "At some point, it had to come, didn't it?" Carrick said. "Whether it was straight after he (Ferguson) left or further down the road, there was going to be some point in time when we wouldn't be going into the final couple of weeks aiming to win the league. "It was always going to be hard when the boss left. Everyone was waiting to see how it would go and that's how it went. Now, it is all nike roshe run about trying to get back to where we were." When United travel to Aston Villa on Saturday, they will do so with the dark clouds of the last 12 months having been lifted in recent weeks by the six-game winning streak overseen by Louis van Gaal, the man charged with repairing the damage inflicted during David Moyes' traumatic eleven-month reign as manager. Under Van Gaal, United sit in third position, eight points adrift of nike roshe run 2014 womens leaders Chelsea, but with the old self-confidence and swagger returning to the team.