Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has warned that Wolfsburg should not be underestimated ahead of Wednesday's Champions League encounter at Old Trafford as they remain a force to be reckoned with even without Kevin De Bruyne.

The Belgium international left Wolfsburg for Manchester City during the transfer window, yet Carrick is adamant United cannot afford to take the Bundesliga side lightly if they are to keep their chances of reaching the knockout stages alive.

Louis van Gaal's men were beaten 2-1 on matchday one by PSV, while Wolfsburg recorded a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow.

"De Bruyne was a good player for them [before joining Manchester City] but, from what I’ve seen, they are a good team," Carrick told the official Manchester United website.

"For German teams to qualify through that league, they must be strong and you have got to take them seriously.

"It will be a tough game but there are not really any easy games in the Champions League.

"This is the group we’ve been given and we have got to back ourselves to go through. They are going to be tough games for different reasons but that is what the Champions League is for – to test yourself against the best in tough conditions. We’ll be ready for that."