The unintended consequence of exiting both domestic cup competitions at the earliest possible stage and ending up with the smallest season games-wise since 1914-15 is that the remainder of Manchester United's campaign is divided into blocks before a longer than usual spell without a game.

They are at the first now. It will be 12 days until United go to Everton.

For Michael Carrick, who was only appointed on 13 January, it is a good chance for his squad to "refresh", to allow some players to "clean up their niggles and strains" and "take a bit of a breather".

But it is also an opportunity to reflect.

Carrick did not try and claim Benjamin Sesko's injury-time equaliser meant their 1-1 draw at West Ham felt like an extension of his four-match winning run, rather than the end of it, which it was.

However, he did acknowledge the overall assessment of the last month has to be good.

"In the grand scheme of things, we take the point, dust ourselves down a little bit and assess it," he said.

"If you take it over a five-game period, to just have one draw in there is a big positive."